Incident Overview
On July 4, 2009, at approximately 1300 central daylight time, a Consolidated Aeronautics, Lake LA-4-200, registration N56LA, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during a water landing on Lake Michigan, near Racine, Wisconsin. During the landing, the left sponson separated from the airplane. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot was not injured. The departure time and location were not determined.
Pilot Report and Investigation
The pilot initially reported to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors that the airplane's sponson struck a submerged object during the landing. However, the FAA inspector who examined the airplane after the accident stated in a telephone interview that there was no evidence that the sponson had impacted anything during the accident. No pre-existing anomalies were found with respect to the airplane, sponson, or sponson attachment. The pilot did not respond to further requests for information by the National Transportation Safety Board's investigator.