Lake LA-4-200 accident near Vinalhaven, Maine, May 25, 1983
On May 25, 1983 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Lake LA-4-200, registered N5015L, was destroyed in an accident near Vinalhaven, Maine. 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
- May 25, 1983 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Vinalhaven, Maine
- 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
- N5015L · registry record · serial 472
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED FOLLOWING A WATER TAKEOFF FROM A SMALL LAKE. THE PILOT AND WITNESSES STATED THAT FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO REMOVE WATER FROM THE TAIL SECTION OF THE ACFT. THE WATER HAD ACCUMULATED DUE TO A MISSING REAR PLUG IN THE FUSELAGE. WITNESSES STATED THAT AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL TAKEOFF ATTEMPTS THE ACFT TOOKOFF BUT CLIMBED SLOWLY AND APPEARED TO BE OUT OF CONTROL. THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF HE COULD NOT LOWER THE NOSE OR MAINTAIN AIRSPEED.
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: 262 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 207 as pilot in command; 56 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 646 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1983; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TO-360-A1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.