- Date
- September 5, 1987, 15:23 local (23:23 UTC)
- Place
- Coal Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N39450Lake LA-4-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 8, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19870905050029A
- Case key
- 4788
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot of the airplane stated that he had step-taxied to the east end of the lake in preparation for a takeoff to the west. During the take off run, the airplane struck the wake he had just created and became prematurely airborne. He reduced power in an attempt to make a full stall landing, but struck the water hard and was thrown forward. As he was thrown forward, he inadvertedly pushed the throttle to maximum. The airplane slewed sideways and turned inverted. The pilot and one passenger escaped without difficulty, but the pilot had to dive under the airplane and cut the other two passengers from their retraints. One of these passengers later died from her injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39450
- Reported as
- Lake LA-4-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 540
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John A. Steeby
- Registered owner
- John A Steeby
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 16, 1987 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- Coal Lake, AK
- Destination
- Z15 · Birchwood, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 503 total · 136 in this make and model · 360 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.