- Date
- April 4, 1993, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gold Bar, WA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N39375Lake LA-4-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930404010869A
- Case key
- 42937
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 adequate airspeed while maneuvering for a water landing.
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 airplane was found submerged in 40 ft of water and approximately 40 ft from shore on the NE end of lake isabel. Impact damage was indicative of a near-vertical nose-down attitude at impact. The mountainous terrain rises rapidly on all sides of the lake, and the lake narrows to approximately 530 ft wide at the NE end. The pilot's flight instructor stated that the pilot had been taught to circle the lake a few times before landing to assess the water conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39375
- Reported as
- Lake LA-4-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 525
- Airframe hours
- 1,595
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Helgeson, Robert C.
- Registered owner
- Helgeson, Robert C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 8, 1992 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- Lake Stevens, WA
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 393 total · 96 in this make and model · 350 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N39375 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.