Lake LA-4 N152WB

Summary

On 15 May 1999 at about 19:30 local time, a Lake LA-4 registered N152WB, operated by Mike D. Kincaid, was involved in an accident near Coeur D'alene, Idaho, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

15 May 1999 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Coeur D'alene, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Coeur D'alene (COE)

Coordinates

47.7794, -116.7105

Aircraft

Lake LA-4

Registration

N152WB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Mike D. Kincaid

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA99LA063

Nobody was injured.

The fatigue failure of a repair weld on one of the engine pylon mount straps and the resultant reduction in directional control. Factors include an inadequate repair of the strap, variable wind speeds and sudden wind shifts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While landing in variable, shifting winds, both the dual student and the instructor had trouble maintaining directional control of the aircraft. After touchdown, the aircraft started turning toward the right side of the runway, and the instructor could not get it to straighten out using maximum left brake and full left rudder. He therefore added power to get airflow over the rudder to increase its efficiency, but the aircraft continued to turn sharper, eventually departing the right side of the runway and impacting the segmented circle at the base of the wind sock. It was later discovered that an improper repair weld on one of the engine pylon mounting straps had failed from fatigue, allowing the engine pylon to twist out of alignment with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.