Lake LA-4-200 accident near Fox Lake, Illinois, September 1, 1988
On September 1, 1988, a Lake LA-4-200, registered N8012A, was destroyed in an accident near Fox Lake, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- September 1, 1988
- Place
- Fox Lake, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4-200 · all LA-4-200s on the register
- Registration
- N8012A · registry record · serial 1065
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD JUST COMPLETED A COURSE AT THE LAKE ACFT FACTORY SCHOOL, BUT HAD NOT YET OBTAINED A SEAPLANE RATING. AFTER HE FLEW HOME, HE LANDED ON LOCAL LAKES. HE REPORTED THAT DRG A LANDING ON CALM WATER, HE EXPECTED TO HEAR A 'SLUSH SOUND' AS THE HULL TOUCHED THE WATER, BUT INSTEAD, THERE WAS A 'LOUD NOISE AS THE ACFT DECELERATED RAPIDLY & WATER CAME THRU THE FLOOR. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AMPHIBIOUS ACFT NOSED OVER & CAME TO REST WITH THE BOTTOM MISSING FROM THE COCKPIT TO THE TAIL SECTION. THE PLT INDCD THAT DRG A LANDING IN SHALLOW WATER ' . . . THE AIRCRAFT IMBEDDED ITSELF ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE IN MUD.'
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
- Flight time: 784 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 659 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1988; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,690 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.