Lake LA4 accident near Rawlins, WY
On August 25, 2020, a Lake LA4 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rawlins, WY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 25, 2020
- Place
- Rawlins, WY
- Aircraft
- Lake LA4 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.806°N, 107.200°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200825X23153
Official records · WPR20LA301
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- In-Flight Trim Anomaly Recording: Document (MOV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 25, 2020, about 0700 mountain daylight time, an Aerofab Lake LA-4-200, N93AB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Rawlins Municipal Airport/Harvey Field (RWL), Rawlins, Wyoming. One passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the pilot and another passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, during a cross-country flight from Searle Field Airport (OGA), Ogallala, Nebraska, to RWL on the day before the accident, the hydraulic pitch trim system appeared to malfunction while the airplane was flying straight and level. The pilot recorded a cell phone video during the flight that showed that the nose of the airplane pitched downward during straight-and-level flight. The pilot had to reset the trim position about every 8 seconds for the last half of the 166-nautical mile flight. The pilot had his passengers monitor the trim position indicator, and they took turns applying aft pressure to the trim handle when the nose of the airplane pitched down. Upon arrival at RWL, the pilot continued to troubleshoot the trim anomaly along with a mechanic via telephone. The pilot searched for hydraulic leaks and saw no visual mechanical anomalies. While troubleshooting the trim anomaly, the pilot asked the mechanic (via text message) about a good mixture setting at 8,000 ft. The mechanic advised the pilot to lean the mixture and monitor the exhaust gas temperature, emphasizing that, “at that high of an altitude with the mixture full
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to depart despite a known mechanical trim malfunction and with a high-density altitude and the airplane at or above its maximum gross weight.
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Browse: Wyoming · 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.
