- Date
- May 16, 2015, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mineral, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N1105LConsolidated Aeronautics Lake LA4-200
- Defining event
- Taxi: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 8, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Organization
- FAA report
- 20150516007249A
- Case key
- 91196
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 failure to maintain directional control during a high-speed water taxi in rough water conditions, resulting in a collision with a dock.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that during high-speed taxi after a water landing, he encountered the wake from a boat. The sponson (float) "caught the water" on the second wave and the airplane made a right turn. The airplane subsequently impacted a dock resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that during high-speed taxi after a water landing, he encountered the wake from a boat. The sponson (float) "caught the water" on the second wave and the airplane made a right turn. The airplane subsequently impacted a dock resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1105L
- Reported as
- Consolidated Aeronautics Lake LA4-200 (200)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 696
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 1,479
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 20, 2015 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- FCI · Richmond, VA
- Destination
- Louisa, VA
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot
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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 19, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 760 total · 265 in this make and model · 711 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KLKU, 8 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 1, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 662 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.