Lake LA4-270T N193TM
28 February 2004 · Crowley, Louisiana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 February 2004 at about 13:30 local time, a Lake LA4-270T registered N193TM, operated by Charles R. Talen, was involved in an accident near Crowley, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was 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 13:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Crowley, Louisiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.2425, -92.6733
- Aircraft
- Lake LA4-270T
- Registration
- N193TM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Charles R. Talen
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Jennings → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW04LA086
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertant water landing with the landing gear extended. Contributing factors were the sunglare and the pilot's failure to verify the position of the flaps and landing gear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While landing on a lake, the single-engine amphibian airplane nosed over. The 666-hour pilot reported that he configured the aircraft for a normal approach into the wind for the first of many practice water landings. At approximately 400 feet MSL, he inadvertently selected the landing gear handle, while reaching for the flap handle. The landing gear and the flap handles are two position levers, with the flaps either being full "UP" or full "DOWN", as is the landing gear lever. As he continued the approach and performed the "flow check", the pilot reported that the rising sun created a glare within the cockpit, which prevented verification of the position of the flaps and landing gear. Confirmation of the landing gear position with the external mirrors was also impaired by the sunlight. Upon contact with the water, the airplane "violently" flipped over onto its back. The pilot stated that for the previous three weeks he was unable to practice water landings, due to maintenance on the nose gear doors. During this time, he performed landings on hard surface runways.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Lake LA4 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 2004 | Lake LA4-200 | Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 2002 | Lake LA4-200 | Frankston, Texas, United States | Danny L. Dugan | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 1998 | Lake LA4-200 | Peshtigo, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2012 | Lake LA4 | Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1993 | Lake LA4 | Turner Lake, Alaska, United States | Jones, David B. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 2015 | Lake LA4-200 | Split, Croatia | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2004 | Bell 206-L1 | Vermillion Bay, Louisiana, United States | American Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 9 Dec 2004 | Hughes 369D | Zachary, Louisiana, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 2004 | Cessna T210N | Abita Springs, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Mar 2004 | Stinson 108-1 | Slidell, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 2004 | Grumman G-164B | Mamou, Louisiana, United States | Central Farmers Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 2004 | Bell 206-L4 | Patterson, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |