Lake LA-4 accident near Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 12, 1999
On September 12, 1999 at about 5:27 pm local time, a Lake LA-4, registered N1137L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ann Arbor, Michigan. 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 pilot's improper touchdown during a water landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1999 · about 5:27 pm local time
- Place
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4 · all LA-4s on the register
- Registration
- N1137L · no longer on the register · serial 299
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told police he was going to practice a touch and go landing on the lake. He said that on touchdown the airplane decelerated as if 'the brakes were locked,' and the airplane cartwheeled. The pilot did not indicate any mechanical problem with the airplane. Subsequent to the accident an examination of the wreckage was conducted. The inspector said the airplane was broken into three major pieces. He said his examination of the wreckage failed to reveal any pre-impact anomalies. He said landing gear was in the retracted position. He said that when he talked to police authorities they told him, 'According to witnesses [the pilot] was attempting a landing on Bruin Lake when he lost control of the aircraft. One of the sponsons hit the water causing the aircraft to flip.'
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,254 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,129 as pilot in command; 2,041 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 1999; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 5:00 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 11 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from ARB, 18 miles away
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.