Aircraft model
LAKE LA-4
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Lake is a four-seat amphibian with the engine on a pylon above the fuselage and the whole aeroplane built round the hull. It is the only light amphibian produced in numbers in the United States and it does something nothing else at the price does: land on a lake, taxi up a ramp and put itself in a hangar.
Amphibian ownership is its own discipline. The hull, the retractable gear that has to work reliably in and out of water, the corrosion picture and the condition of the sponsons are what a pre-purchase survey is for, and a salt-water history is a serious finding. The pusher installation makes the engine awkward to work on and hard on propellers from spray. Against that, the resale market for amphibians is small, loyal and permanently short of aircraft. A seaplane rating is required and Lake-specific training is strongly advised because the water handling is unlike a float aeroplane's.
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Put LAKE LA-4 side by side with up to two other models.
- LAKE LA-4
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming O-360-A1A |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1960 |
| Production end | 1970 |
| Endorsements required | complex |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 114 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 296 nm |
| Service ceiling | 13,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 800 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 39 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,275 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 900 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 845 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 605 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,400 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,555 lb |
| Usable fuel | 40 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 10.1 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $45,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $80,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $32,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $46,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 200 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 45 |
| Median year built | 1966.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 3 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 66.67 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 66.67 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 6 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 13.33 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 1 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 45 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 45 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 45 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 4.8 of 103 |
| Support | 1.9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 28.36 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 11.65.
- Access: class median 767.75.
- Support: class median 141.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.57.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.