20130529009769A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna U206G · King Salmon, AK · May 29, 2013

Date
May 29, 2013 · 10:00 local
Place
King Salmon, AK
Airport
Lake Brooks
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
E8DC
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N77206
Reported as
Cessna U206G
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
6,758 total69 in this make and model71 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.

Pilot flew two passengers from homer (5BL) to Lake Brooks (5Z9). During the descent to landing on short final approach, the PIC initially flew at 60 KTS with a descent of 150FPM rate of descent. Due to the extremely glassy water as well as dividing his attention between inside and outside the aircraft, the PIC lost some depth perception. The airspeed dropped to 53 KTS and 200' per minute rate of descent. At this point the aircraft bounced off the water, the PIC reduced throttle to idle and increased back pressure (pulled back) on the flight controls. This put the aircraft in an abnormally nose high attitude which caused the tail of the aircraft to hit the water surface hard enough to break the horizontal stabilizer control surface.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT FLEW TWO PASSENGERS FROM HOMER (5BL) TO LAKE BROOKS (5Z9). DURING THE DESCENT TO LANDING ON SHORT FINAL APPROACH, THE PIC INITIALLY FLEW AT 60 KTS WITH A DESCENT OF 150FPM RATE OF DESCENT. DUE TO THE EXTREMELY GLASSY WATER AS WELL AS DIVIDING HIS ATTENTION BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT, THE PIC LOST SOME DEPTH PERCEPTION. THE AIRSPEED DROPPED TO 53 KTS AND 200' PER MINUTE RATE OF DESCENT. AT THIS POINT THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED OFF THE WATER, THE PIC REDUCED THROTTLE TO IDLE AND INCREASED BACK PRESSURE (PULLED BACK) ON THE FLIGHT CONTROLS. THIS PUT THE AIRCRAFT IN AN ABNORMALLY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE WHICH CAUSED THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT TO HIT THE WATER SURFACE HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER CONTROL SURFACE.