- Date
- October 21, 1989, 06:00 local (10:00 UTC)
- Place
- Apalachicola, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1212LLake LA-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891021041979A
- Case key
- 32596
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
Binding and subsequent failure of the #1 exhaust valve. A factor related to the accident was: the soft/wet (swampy) terrain condition in the emergency landing area.
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
Shortly after takeoff at about 100' AGL, the eng lost power. An emerg lndg was then made in a swampy area & the acft, was damaged. An exam of the eng revealed that the #1 exhaust valve pushrod was bent. According to the eng manufacturerthis resulted from a sticking exhaust valve, which allowed the piston to contact the valve. The valve stem cap had failed & lodged between the rocker arm and the outer valve spring assembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1212L
- Reported as
- Lake LA-4
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- D'Alemberte, Talbot S.
- Registered owner
- Talbot D'Alemberte
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 9, 1988
- Departed
- AAF
- Destination
- MSY · New Orleans, LA
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 570 total · 500 in this make and model · 535 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.