- Date
- June 17, 1998, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Peshtigo, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N80026Lake LA4-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980617014029A
- Case key
- 10921
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 misjudged the flare and inadvertently dragged the right sponson in the water. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model aircraft.
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
In a phone conversation, the pilot reported that he looked over the area before he landed and did not see anything in the water and did not see anything off the right side. He reported that the right wing caught the water. He reported, 'I think it was the glassy water...and I thought I was higher than I was.' He reported, '...the wing hit the water and the airplane ground looped on me.' The pilot reported that he had 19 hours in make and model aircraft.
Factual narrative
On June 17, 1998, at 1445 central daylight time, a Lake LA4-200, N80026, was substantially damaged when the right wingtip struck the water during a crosswind water landing. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight had departed from Marinette, Wisconsin, and was making a water landing on the Peshtigo River, near Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
In a phone conversation, the pilot reported that he looked over the area before he landed and did not see anything in the water and did not see anything off the right side. He reported that the right wing caught the water. He reported, "I think it was the glassy water...and I thought I was higher than I was." He reported, "...the wing hit the water and ground looped on me."
The pilot reported that he had 19 hours in make and model aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80026
- Reported as
- Lake LA4-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1007
- Airframe hours
- 700
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dave A. Olsen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1998 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- MNM · Menominee, WI
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 347 total · 19 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MNM, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.