Lake LA-4-200 N6248V

Summary

On 5 July 2004 at about 19:00 local time, a Lake LA-4-200 registered N6248V, operated by Stephen Young, was involved in an accident near Wilmot, New Hampshire, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 July 2004 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wilmot, New Hampshire, United States

Coordinates

43.3689, -71.8519

Aircraft

Lake LA-4-200

Registration

N6248V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Stephen Young

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plattsburgh → Concord

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC04FA157

1 person died.

The pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC conditions, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance, which resulted in a controlled flight into terrain. Factors in the accident were the low cloud ceiling and the pilot's lack of recent instrument time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed under visual flight rules (VFR) and was flying under a cloud layer at an altitude that was approximately 500-800 feet above the trees. When the VFR conditions worsened, he "stayed on instruments," at an altitude of 3,500 feet msl, and shortly thereafter, the airplane impacted terrain, approximately 500 feet from the summit of a 2,937-foot mountain. When asked what caused the accident, the pilot stated, "Controlled flight into terrain." Witnesses reported at the time of the accident, the mountain was obscured by a cloud layer from its summit, down to about 2,000 feet, and the lateral visibility was approximately 200 feet. Examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies. The pilot received his instrument rating 5 years prior to the accident, and had logged a total of 5.4 hours of instrument time during 4 flights since then. The pilot's most recent instrument experience was 3 years prior to the accident, when he logged 0.5 hours of actual instrument time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.