- Date
- July 15, 1992, 17:30 local (Jul 16, 1992, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wasilla, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N7096KPiper PA-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920715036569A
- Case key
- 5803
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight planning/decision, and his delayed aborted takeoff. Contributing was the pilot's failure to use the airplane performance data.
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
During takeoff the floatplane would climb no higher than 5 to 10 feet above the water. The pilot cut the throttle and the airplane landed hard in a small pond like marshy area just past the lake from where the airplane departed. The pilot did not hold a seaplane rating. The pilot said the airplane was loaded to within about 50 pounds of its maximum certificated gross weight. The pilot and a witness said it was a hot day and there was no wind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7096K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-203
- Airframe hours
- 1,980
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Martin M. Laster
- Registered owner
- Martin M. Laster
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1991 · 30 hours before
- Destination
- Red Shirt Lake, 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 410 total · 330 in this make and model · 325 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7096K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.