- Date
- August 29, 1999, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Winter Haven, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8002HLake LA-4-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990829042389A
- Case key
- 47237
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-in command/flight instructor allowed the student pilot to get the nose of the airplane too low in the water causing a loss of directional control and a subsequent impact of the right wing in the water.
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 flight had landed on the lake after the pilots had been practicing landings and takeoffs. While attempting a water take off in a left step turn the bow was allowed to get too low causing the right front portion of the hull to dig in and spin the aircraft about 180 degrees. The flight instructor stated, '...I took control of the aircraft when the student did not correct the pitch attitude, but a split second too late.' The pilot receiving instruction stated, '...while completing a step turn taxi maneuver to the left apparently I allowed the bow to become too low swinging the aircraft 180 degrees to the right causing damage....'
Factual narrative
On August 29, 1999, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a Lake LA-4-200, N8002H, registered to a private individual, impacted with the water while taxiing on a lake near Winter Haven, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 local training flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The two airline transport-rated pilots reported no injuries. The flight had departed from a seaplane base near Winter Haven, about 0930.
The flight had landed on the lake after the pilots had been practicing landings and takeoffs. The pilot-in-command/certified flight instructor (CFI) stated, "...while attempting a water take off in a left step turn the bow was allowed to get too low causing the right front portion of the hull to dig in and spin the aircraft about 180 degrees...as the flight instructor I took control of the aircraft when the student did not correct the pitch attitude, but a split second too late."
The pilot receiving instruction stated, "...while completing a step turn taxi maneuver to the left apparently I allowed the bow to become too low swinging the aircraft 180 degrees to the right causing damage...."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8002H
- Reported as
- Lake LA-4-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1000
- Airframe hours
- 789
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Jack Browns Seplane Base
- Registered owner
- Charles J. Starling
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1998 · 97 hours before
- Airport
- GIF · Gilbert Field
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 160 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCO, 40 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.