Lake LA-4-250 N14001

Summary

On 4 January 1999 at about 17:17 local time, a Lake LA-4-250 registered N14001 was involved in an accident near Laconia, New Hampshire, 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.

Date

4 January 1999 at 17:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Laconia, New Hampshire, United States

Nearest airport

Laconia Municipal (LCI)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Lake LA-4-250

Registration

N14001

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laconia → Manchester

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD99FA025

1 person died.

A loss of engine power during initial climb due to oil starvation. Contributing to the accident was the failure to perform an engine overhaul.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner, sitting in the left seat, and flight instructor were on an instructional instrument flight. Shortly after takeoff, the airplane was seen trailing smoke. The smoke and engine noise stopped, then started again as the airplane leveled off, and began a left, 180-degree turn. The smoke and engine noise again stopped. Then the airplane descended, impacted a parking lot in a left-wing-down attitude, and bounced through a snow bank and down a 15-foot embankment, onto a field. It then rolled upside down, and caught on fire. A large hole was in the top of the engine crankcase, in line with a dislodged number 4 connecting rod. A hole in the bottom of the case was in line with a dislodged number 5 connecting rod. The number 1 connecting rod bearing and journal had light distress scoring in line with the oil supply hole. The number 2 connecting rod bearing and journal were normal, except for fire and heat damage to the bearing. The number 3, 4, 5, and 6 connecting rod journals had heavy distress scoring with extruded bearings. The injuries sustained by the pilot/owner precluded any recollection of the flight. He was not known to preheat the engine, and there were no witnesses to the airplane's preflight, start, runup or takeoff. Outside air temperature was 23 degrees Fahrenheit, and the airplane was stored in an unheated hangar. Recommended time between engine overhaul was 2,000 hours, or 12 years, which ever came first. The engine had in excess of 919 hours of operation, was built over 15 years earlier, and had not had an overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.