Lake LA-4-200 N5023L

Summary

On 15 December 2020 at about 21:15 local time, a Lake LA-4-200 registered N5023L, operated by Island Hoppers Seaplanes 2 LLC, was involved in an accident near Orlando, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 December 2020 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Orlando, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Lake (NONE)

Coordinates

28.5285, -81.4815

Aircraft

Lake LA-4-200

Registration

N5023L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Island Hoppers Seaplanes 2 LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Avon Park → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA078

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the amphibious airplane departed the lake with a passenger, landed at a nearby airport where he deplaned the passenger, and was returning to the lake for landing. When the pilot reached the lake, he noted that it was hard to judge the airplane’s distance above the calm, glassy water while landing into the direction of the setting sun. Following the landing flare, the airplane “floated” a considerable distance before bouncing multiple times. The pilot then concluded he could neither complete the landing nor abort the landing before striking structures or other obstacles on the shore and deliberately nosed the airplane into the water to arrest its forward progress. As a result, the airplane’s fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.