- Date
- December 27, 1995, 11:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Folsom Lake, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5LYLake LA-4-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951227046399A
- Case key
- 29368
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 flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the dual student and improper remedial action. A factor relating to the accident was: failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control.
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 student was practicing a confined area takeoff and initiated a turn to the right when the aircraft began skidding to the outside of the turn. The instructor applied right rudder, right aileron, and reduced the power to idle. As power was reduced, the aircraft suddenly came down off the step and settled into the water. The instructor saw the left wing tip descend into the water, and he responded by adding full power and leveling the wings. As power was added, the aircraft accelerated and lifted off. After becoming airborne, the instructor surveyed the damage and decided to return to airport. A landing was made without further incident. Substantial damage to the left wing was discovered during maintenance inspection.
Factual narrative
On December 27, 1995, about 1100 hours Pacific standard time, a Lake LA-4-200 amphibian, N5LY, drug a wing in the water on takeoff from Folsom Lake near Folsom, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, neither the flight instructor nor his student were injured. The aircraft was being operated as an instructional flight by a private owner when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Sacramento, California, about 1030. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed.
The instructor reported that his student was in the process of practicing a confined area takeoff. After the aircraft came up onto the step, the student initiated a turn toward the right when the aircraft began skidding to the outside of the turn. To compensate for this condition, the instructor applied right rudder, right aileron, and reduced the engine power to idle. As the power was reduced, the aircraft came down off the step and settled into the water. When this occurred the instructor saw the left wing tip descend below the surface of the water and he responded by adding full power and leveling the wings. As the wings were leveled and power added the aircraft accelerated and lifted off.
After becoming airborne the instructor observed skin damage to both sponsons. Satisfied that the aircraft was controllable in the air, but uncertain if the aircraft could be landed safely in the water due to the possibility of reduced buoyancy if the damage to the sponsons allowed them to take on water, the instructor decided to return to Natomas Field. Upon arrival at Natomas, the aircraft landed without further incident.
A postaccident maintenance inspection revealed damage to both under wing sponsons, the nose gear door, internal bulkheads, and skin on the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5LY
- Reported as
- Lake LA-4-200
- Category
- Unknown
- Serial number
- 474
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Vladimir Zeravica
- Registered owner
- West Seegmiller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 8, 1995 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- Q96 · Sacramento, CA
- Destination
- CA
- Airport
- Folsom Lake
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 45 in this make and model · 2,350 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCC, 17 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.