Lake LA-4 accident near Lake Tahoe, California, August 14, 1982
On August 14, 1982 at about 8:48 pm local time, a Lake LA-4, registered N1104L, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Tahoe, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. 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 14, 1982 · about 8:48 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Tahoe, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lake LA-4 · all LA-4s on the register
- Registration
- N1104L · no longer on the register · serial 695
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS WAS TO HAVE BEEN THE FOURTH SIGHT-SEEING FLIGHT OF THE DAY. AS THE AMPHIBIAN WAS TAXIED FOR TAKEOFF, THE PILOT NOTICED WATER FLOWING INTO THE AIRCRAFT. THE BILGE PUMP WAS UNABLE TO QUELL THE FLOW. THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS, FOUR CHILDREN, ABANDONED THE AIRCRAFT AND IT SANK A SHORT TIME LATER IN DEEP WATER. THE PLANE WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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
- Flight time: 252 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 140 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 460 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,690 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Tahoe CA at 1:47 pm
- Destination: Lake Tahoe CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.