Lake LA-4-200 accident near Lake Murray, SC
On February 25, 1998, a Lake LA-4-200 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lake Murray, SC. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 25, 1998
- Place
- Lake Murray, SC
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4-200 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.910°N, 81.509°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09592
NTSB summary
On February 25, 1998, about 1455 eastern standard time, a Lake LA-4-200, N3020P, registered to and operated by Sea Flight, Inc., as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while attempting a water landing on Lake Murray, South Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sank and was substantially damaged. The private-rated pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The flight originated from Columbia Metropolitan Airport about 27 minutes before the accident. Following the accident, the pilot stated he thought that either the nose gear had inadvertently extended or that during initial water touchdown, the hull impacted a submerged object. Witnesses on the lake were mixed in their individual observations of whether the landing gear were up or down during the water landing. An eyewitness, the wife of a Lake amphibian owner and an ex-flight attendant, stated that she observed the airplane fly over her lakeside house and that all landing gear were up. The water surface conditions at the landing site were reported as smooth. Because of recent heavy rainfall, the lake level was higher, the water clarity was diminished due to mud run-off, and the lake contained more floating and partially submerged debris than normal. The pilot stated he made three low passes over the landing area prior to his water landing. Examination of the submerged wreckage by salvage divers revealed the nose and left main gear fully retracted and totally in their respective wheel wells, while the right main gear was not fully retracted. The landing
Probable cause
A collision with an unknown submerged.
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Browse: South Carolina · Lake aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
