Consolidated Aeronautics Inc. Lake LA-4-200 accident near Conesus, New York, July 5, 2005

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The instructor did not obtain a weather briefing prior to the flight. The student pilot took off from the lake in a southerly direction, and turned toward rising terrain to the east at the direction of the instructor. The instructor then suggested a turn back to the south, at which point the student announced that the airplane "would not climb," and transferred control of the airplane to the instructor. The airplane then struck a downward slope on the eastern side of the lake. The nose compartment, cockpit and cabin area were destroyed, and completely exposed. The wings, empennage, and tail were largely intact. Neither pilot remembers any problems with the performance or handling of the airplane, nor any portion of the flight after the transfer of the flight controls. Examination of weather radar data revealed a level 3-4 cell in the vicinity of the accident site around the time of the accident. The engine ran to about 65 percent power in a test cell after the accident, due to deteriorated ignition harnesses, and to 100 percent power after replacement of the harnesses. The engine was manufactured 20 years before the accident, and had never been overhauled. The manufacturer recommended that the engine be overhauled at 2,000 hours or 12 years, whichever occurred first.

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.