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20100617036839I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 208 · Southampton, NY · June 17, 2010

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 17, 2010 · 13:20 local
Place
Southampton, NY
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
W4XA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N810GA
Reported as
Cessna 208
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard
5
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
22,611 total202 in this make and model93 in the last 90 days

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.

After a water landing at approximately 13:30 local time on June 17, 2010, N810GA taxied to a beach near jessup neck in north sea, long island, NY. The attempt to beach the seaplane tail in was unsuccessful, and the pilot restarted the aircraft and taxied out. During this time, he believes he stuck a rock. A short time later, the noticed the left float was sink and attempted to beach the aircraft. Due to the drag of a sinking left float, complicated by the torque of the engine, he was only able to make left turns, and was unable to search the shore. The left float sank after a period of approximately 5 minutes, and the left wingtip rested on the bottom in 5-8 feet of water. The aircraft's buoyancy was restored by divers with airbags, and the aircraft was towed to a nearby marina, and brought up into dry dock. The aircraft was inspected the following day – one hole and one tear in the outboard section of the left float were discovered. Additional damage included two (out of three) loose propeller blades, a broken spinner backplate, bent spreader bar fairings, broken left wing tip fairing, and associated water damage to the left wing and left lower fuselage. On June 27, aircraft was issued a ferry permit for a flight to whipline facility in Minnesota.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER A WATER LANDING AT APPROXIMATELY 13:30 LOCAL TIME ON JUNE 17, 2010, N810GA TAXIED TO A BEACH NEAR JESSUP NECK IN NORTH SEA, LONG ISLAND, NY. THE ATTEMPT TO BEACH THE SEAPLANE TAIL IN WAS UNSUCCESSFUL, AND THE PILOT RESTARTED THE AIRCRAFT AND TAXIED OUT. DURING THIS TIME, HE BELIEVES HE STUCK A ROCK. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE NOTICED THE LEFT FLOAT WAS SINK AND ATTEMPTED TO BEACH THE AIRCRAFT. DUE TO THE DRAG OF A SINKING LEFT FLOAT, COMPLICATED BY THE TORQUE OF THE ENGINE, HE WAS ONLY ABLE TO MAKE LEFT TURNS, AND WAS UNABLE TO SEARCH THE SHORE. THE LEFT FLOAT SANK AFTER A PERIOD OF APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES, AND THE LEFT WINGTIP RESTED ON THE BOTTOM IN 5-8 FEET OF WATER. THE AIRCRAFT'S BUOYANCY WAS RESTORED BY DIVERS WITH AIRBAGS, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO A NEARBY MARINA, AND BROUGHT UP INTO DRY DOCK. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED THE FOLLOWING DAY – ONE HOLE AND ONE TEAR IN THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT FLOAT WERE DISCOVERED. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE INCLUDED TWO (OUT OF THREE) LOOSE PROPELLER BLADES, A BROKEN SPINNER BACKPLATE, BENT SPREADER BAR FAIRINGS, BROKEN LEFT WING TIP FAIRING, AND ASSOCIATED WATER DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING AND LEFT LOWER FUSELAGE. ON JUNE 27, AIRCRAFT WAS ISSUED A FERRY PERMIT FOR A FLIGHT TO WHIPLINE FACILITY IN MINNESOTA.