Lake LA-4-200 N65717
20 November 2000 · Iuka, Mississippi, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 20 November 2000 at about 17:15 local time, a Lake LA-4-200 registered N65717, operated by Steven Roddy, was involved in an accident near Iuka, Mississippi, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Iuka, Mississippi, United States
- Nearest airport
- Iuka Airport (15M)
- Coordinates
- 34.8001, -88.1901
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4-200
- Registration
- N65717
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Steven Roddy
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Muscle Shoals → Olive Branch
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA01LA031
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
a loss of engine power due to fuel contamination resulting in fuel starvation, a forced landing and the subsequent in-flight collision with a wire.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot he departed with 'full fuel tanks (40 gallons),' and landed after a flight of 50 minutes. After spending time on the ground and not refueling, he departed for his home airport. He stated, '...cruising at 4,500 feet, engine began surging (fuel pressure fluctuating). Turned on aux fuel pump surging stopped for about 1 minute, then reoccurred, turned toward...[nearest] airport for emergency landing...insufficient gliding distance to make runway...struck power lines about 50 yards from runway and went inverted.' A witness heard the engine cutting in and out, before impacting with wires. Inspection of the airplane's fuel system, after the accident revealed, a small amount of fuel in the fuel lines, water, excessive contamination, corrosion, rust, and trash in the fuel. The fuel tank bladder was contaminated with rust, corrosion, trash, and water. The engine was rotated and had no binding; compression was noted on all cylinders. There was no external damage noted to the engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Lake LA-4 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2000 | Lake LA-4 | Pensacola, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2000 | Lake LA-4-200 | Claremore, Oklahoma, United States | Kenneth L. Clark | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 2000 | Lake LA-4-200 | Logan, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 2000 | Lake LA-4-200 | Laconia, New Hampshire, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 1999 | Lake LA-4-200 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | Gregory A. Crawford | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2001 | Lake LA-4-200 | Orlando, Florida, United States | George Kirby | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2000 | Piper PA-38-112 | Steens, Mississippi, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2000 | Air Tractor 502B | Perthshire, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 2000 | Aeronca 11AC | Tylertown, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Nov 2000 | Beechcraft BE-23-A24R | Jackson, Mississippi, United States | Richard E. MacNealy | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2000 | Cessna 150M | Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Jun 2000 | Cessna 150G | Oxford, Mississippi, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |