Lake LA04 accident near Blair Lake, Alaska, August 7, 1993
On August 7, 1993 at about 3:30 am local time, a Lake LA04, registered N6669L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blair Lake, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADVERTANT ENTRY INTO A PORPOISE AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE STEP-TAXIING PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH WATER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1993 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Blair Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lake LA04
- Registration
- N6669L · no longer on the register · serial 431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT OF LAKE AMPHIBIAN AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED PORPOISING LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE STEP TAXIING IN CHOPPY LAKE CONDITIONS. PORPOISING PROGRESSED TO WINGFLOAT PITCHING AND COLLISION WITH WATER. THE AIRPLANE SANK.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 4,547 hours in all; 863 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 3,892 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1992; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: North Pole AK at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 240° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; not recorded at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from FAI, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.