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20000307008749A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 185 · Incline Village, NV · March 7, 2000

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 7, 2000 · 10:00 local
Place
Incline Village, NV
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N4021Y
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX00LA115
Reported as
Cessna 185
Reported engine
Continental IO520D
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
6,500 total200 in this make and model180 in the last 90 days
N4021YRegistration cancelled Feb 6, 2003 · Cessna 185S/N 1850221 · Built 1961Airframe modelCessna 185Engine modelContinental I0-470 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Aircraft is a Cessna 185 mounted on edo floats. Incorporated is a set of hydraulic actuated retracting wheel/landing gear assemblies. The pilot departed the truckee, CA airport (asphalt runway) with one passenger to land on lake tahoe at the north end at Incline Village, NV. (About a 15 minute flight). The weather was clear, no wind and smooth water. About 10:00 am the pilot set up a normal approach. Upon contact with the water, the aircraft immediately flipped on its back and began to sink. The windshield broke out and the cabin filled with water. Fortunately both occupants sustained only minor injuries due to the 5 point seat harnesses. Both swam out of the cabin through an open door, the pilots wife witnessed the accident from the shore and immediately called for help. Afterward, the floats were visible and photographed with the landing gear extended in the down position. (.4)on March 7, 2000, at 1000 hours pacific standard time, a Cessna 185, N4021Y, was substantially damaged when the aircraft, equipped with amphibious floats, flipped inverted during landing on water at lake tahoe, near Incline Village, Nevada. The airline transport certificated pilot and one passen ger received minor injuries. The aircraft, operated by the owner as a personal flight under 14 CFR part 91, departed from truckee-tahoe airport, truckee, California, about 0940. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A newspaper reporter, who responded to the scene near ski beach about 1030, reported that the aircraft had been pulled close to shore when she arrived but all she could see was the bottom of the floats with the wheels extended. A witness told the reporter that he had seen the floatplane approach and land, and, that just as it touched the water, the nose "buckled under." The pilot reported that it was his intent to remain in the traffic pattern after takeoff at truckee and make one landing there. While on downwind, however, with the wheels extended for a terrain landing, he noticed the weather deteriorating from the west and decided to proceed directly to the lake for his planned passenger pickup there. During the approach for the water landing, he forgot that the wheels were extended and the aircraft flipped inverted when he touched down on the water.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT IS A CESSNA 185 MOUNTED ON EDO FLOATS. INCORPORATED IS A SET OF HYDRAULIC ACTUATED RETRACTING WHEEL/LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLIES. THE PILOT DEPARTED THE TRUCKEE, CA AIRPORT (ASPHALT RUNWAY) WITH ONE PASSENGER TO LAND ON LAKE TAHOE AT THE NORTH END AT INCLINE VILLAGE, NV. (ABOUT A 15 MINUTE FLIGHT). THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR, NO WIND AND SMOOTH WATER. ABOUT 10:00 AM THE PILOT SET UP A NORMAL APPROACH. UPON CONTACT WITH THE WATER, THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY FLIPPED ON ITS BACK AND BEGAN TO SINK. THE WINDSHIELD BROKE OUT AND THE CABIN FILLED WITH WATER. FORTUNATELY BOTH OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED ONLY MINOR INJURIES DUE TO THE 5 POINT SEAT HARNESSES. BOTH SWAM OUT OF THE CABIN THROUGH AN OPEN DOOR, THE PILOTS WIFE WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT FROM THE SHORE AND IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR HELP. AFTERWARD, THE FLOATS WERE VISIBLE AND PHOTOGRAPHED WITH THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED IN THE DOWN POSITION. (.4)ON MARCH 7, 2000, AT 1000 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 185, N4021Y, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT, EQUIPPED WITH AMPHIBIOUS FLOATS, FLIPPED INVERTED DURING LANDING ON WATER AT LAKE TAHOE, NEAR INCLINE VILLAGE, NEVADA. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT CERTIFICATED PILOT AND ONE PASSEN GER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT, OPERATED BY THE OWNER AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91, DEPARTED FROM TRUCKEE-TAHOE AIRPORT, TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA, ABOUT 0940. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED AND VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. A NEWSPAPER REPORTER, WHO RESPONDED TO THE SCENE NEAR SKI BEACH ABOUT 1030, REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN PULLED CLOSE TO SHORE WHEN SHE ARRIVED BUT ALL SHE COULD SEE WAS THE BOTTOM OF THE FLOATS WITH THE WHEELS EXTENDED. A WITNESS TOLD THE REPORTER THAT HE HAD SEEN THE FLOATPLANE APPROACH AND LAND, AND, THAT JUST AS IT TOUCHED THE WATER, THE NOSE "BUCKLED UNDER." THE PILOT REPORTED THAT IT WAS HIS INTENT TO REMAIN IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AFTER TAKEOFF AT TRUCKEE AND MAKE ONE LANDING THERE. WHILE ON DOWNWIND, HOWEVER, WITH THE WHEELS EXTENDED FOR A TERRAIN LANDING, HE NOTICED THE WEATHER DETERIORATING FROM THE WEST AND DECIDED TO PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE LAKE FOR HIS PLANNED PASSENGER PICKUP THERE. DURING THE APPROACH FOR THE WATER LANDING, HE FORGOT THAT THE WHEELS WERE EXTENDED AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED INVERTED WHEN HE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE WATER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX00LA115Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportIncline Village, NVThe pilot's inadvertent landing on water with the wheels of the amphibious float plane extended.Mar 7, 2000 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N4021Y · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19780525026219AGround Taxi, Other AirplaneMay 25, 1978 · Substantial damage