Lake LA-4-200 accident near Grafton, West Virginia, August 16, 1987
On August 16, 1987 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Lake LA-4-200, registered N59FC, was destroyed in an accident near Grafton, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1987 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Grafton, West Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4-200 · all LA-4-200s on the register
- Registration
- N59FC · registry record · serial 997
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT DURING THE WATER LANDING THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED THE WAKE OF A BOAT THAT HAD CROSSED THE PATH OF THE ACFT. AS A RESULT THE ACFT BOUNCED ABOUT 20 FT HIGH. THE PLT APPLIED FULL POWER TO RECOVER; HOWEVER, THE ACFT IMPACTED THE WATER. HE STARTED A GO-AROUND WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE ACFT WAS APPROACHING THE SHORELINE AND THAT THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT LANDING DISTANCE REMAINING ON THE LAKE. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO ACHIEVE A POSITIVE CLIMB BEFORE THE ACFT IMPACTED TREES AND DESCENDED TO THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 538 hours in all; 116 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 460 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 776 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 19, 1986; 189 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,690 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4G7 Fairmont WV at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from MGW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.