Lake LA-4-200 N8011M
25 July 1990 · Gt. Barrington, Massachusetts, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 25 July 1990 at about 18:00 local time, a Lake LA-4-200 registered N8011M, operated by Paul E. Thorn, was involved in an accident near Gt. Barrington, Massachusetts, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gt. Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
- Nearest airport
- Great Barrington (GBR)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4-200
- Registration
- N8011M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Paul E. Thorn
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Lake Garfield
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC90FA171
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN THE ENGINE, THE INADEQUATE ANNUAL MAINTENANCE INSPECTION, LOW COMPRESSION, AND IMPROPER MAGNETO TIMING. A FACTOR WAS THE RESULTANT DETERIORATED CLIMB PERFORMANCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER TAKEOFF THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 50 FEET AGL AND THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TWICE BY LOWERING THE NOSE, LOSING ALTITUDE EACH TIME. THE AIRPLANE THEN BANKED RIGHT BEFORE FLYING INTO TREES ABOUT 1,500 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A RESIDENTIAL BACKYARD. THE PASSENGER ESCAPED BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESCUE THE PILOT BEFORE FIRE CONSUMED THE CABIN. AN ENGINE RUN WAS SUCCESSFUL BUT FAILED TO ATTAIN AIR FLOW AND RPM TEST POINTS. DISASSEMBLY REVEALED CORROSION THROUGHOUT INDICATING THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN INACTIVE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. THERE WAS ALSO EVIDENCE OF MULTIPLE WORN COMPONENTS AND METAL CONTAMINATION. COMPRESSION ON CYLINDERS 1-4 WAS 65/80, 75/80, AND 69/80 RESPECTIVELY. LEFT MAGNETO TIMING WAS 24.5 DEGREES BTC VICE THE CORRECT TIMING OF 20 DEGREES BTC. AN ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED ON 4/5/90. THE ENGINE WAS NOT CAPABLE OF PRODUCING RATED POWER DUE TO MECHANICAL INEFFICIENCY AND WEAR LIMITS BEING EXCEEDED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Lake LA-4 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 1990 | Lake LA-4-200 | Bellingham, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 1990 | Lake LA-4-200 | Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 1990 | Lake LA-4-200 | Have de Grace, Maryland, United States | Seawind Airways, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1990 | Lake LA-4 | Onalaska, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 12 Apr 1989 | Lake LA-4-200-EP | Bellevue, Washington, United States | Lake Aircraft | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Jun 1991 | Lake LA-4-200 | Battle Creek, Michigan, United States | Brook Aero, Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 1990 | Schweizer SGS-2-33A | Gt. Barrington, Massachusetts, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1990 | Beechcraft 58P | Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1990 | Bell 206B | Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States | Joseph T. Duggan, III | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1990 | Grumman AA5B | Stow, Massachusetts, United States | Hung YU | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1990 | Cessna 150L | Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States | Aviation East | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1990 | Cessna 152 | Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States | Mike Bello | Fatal | 2 |