Lake LA250 N64SF

Summary

On 6 October 2003 at about 15:45 local time, a Lake LA250 registered N64SF was involved in an accident near Laconia, New Hampshire, 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

6 October 2003 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Laconia, New Hampshire, United States

Nearest airport

Laconia Municipal (LCI)

Coordinates

43.5725, -71.4189

Aircraft

Lake LA250

Registration

N64SF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laconia → Norfolk

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC04CA002

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper starting procedure. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience in make and model airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the pilot attempted to start the engine, it became flooded. The pilot placed the throttle control lever in the "full forward" position, the propeller control lever to the "full forward" position, and the mixture control lever to the "idle cutoff" position. The engine started on the second attempt, and as the pilot pushed the mixture control lever to the "rich" position, the engine went immediately to full power. The pilot attempted to pull the throttle control lever back; however, he pulled the propeller control lever instead. The airplane began to roll forward, and pilot applied full braking. The pilot was unsuccessful in stopping the airplane, and it struck three parked airplanes before the engine stopped. Examination of the airplane revealed the throttle control lever was in the "full forward" position, the propeller control lever in the "full aft" position, and the mixture control lever in the "idle cutoff" position. No anomalies were noted with the throttle linkage or the braking system. According to the airplane's flight manual, the flooded start procedure included, "Clear by operating starter for 5 seconds with mixture at idle cutoff, throttle open, then use normal starting procedure. The normal starting procedure required that the throttle be "OPEN 1/8 TRAVEL." The pilot reported about 150 hours of experience in make and model airplane, none of which were in the preceding 90 days.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.