20140224001649A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Lake Wales, FL · February 24, 2014

Date: February 24, 2014 · 08:00 local
Place: Lake Wales, FL
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N9563P
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA14CA136
Reported as: Piper PA-18-150
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES A-2B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, unknown or foreign certificate
Pilot’s flight hours: 27,100 total1 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N9563PRegistered now · Piper PA-18-150S/N 18-7609155 Airframe modelPiper PA-18-150 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

Pilot from the netherlands comes to the u.s each spring to practice in a Piper super cub on floats as it is almost impossible to practice in europe. The pilot started out to practice take-offs & landings.

After performing a glassy-water take-off the pilot decided to do a simulated emergency landing. At 500' the pilot cut the power, applied carb heat, raised the nose, and turned into the wind (west). Nearing the water, the pilot began to level off, raised the nose, but hit the water with too much speed. The left float initially created too much drag, imersing the float and dragging the left wing with force into the water breaking the wing. Next the aircraft rolled to the right dragging the right wing into the water and causing additional damage. The aircraft came to rest on its floats. The pilot cut the engine and the master switch and waited, dazed. As nothing else happened, the pilot restarted the engine and idle taxied the aircraft back to the base.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT FROM THE NETHERLANDS COMES TO THE U.S EACH SPRING TO PRACTICE IN A PIPER SUPER CUB ON FLOATS AS IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PRACTICE IN EUROPE. THE PILOT STARTED OUT TO PRACTICE TAKE-OFFS & LANDINGS.

AFTER PERFORMING A GLASSY-WATER TAKE-OFF THE PILOT DECIDED TO DO A SIMULATED EMERGENCY LANDING. AT 500' THE PILOT CUT THE POWER, APPLIED CARB HEAT, RAISED THE NOSE, AND TURNED INTO THE WIND (WEST). NEARING THE WATER, THE PILOT BEGAN TO LEVEL OFF, RAISED THE NOSE, BUT HIT THE WATER WITH TOO MUCH SPEED. THE LEFT FLOAT INITIALLY CREATED TOO MUCH DRAG, IMERSING THE FLOAT AND DRAGGING THE LEFT WING WITH FORCE INTO THE WATER BREAKING THE WING. NEXT THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED TO THE RIGHT DRAGGING THE RIGHT WING INTO THE WATER AND CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS FLOATS. THE PILOT CUT THE ENGINE AND THE MASTER SWITCH AND WAITED, DAZED. AS NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED, THE PILOT RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND IDLE TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO THE BASE.

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 ERA14CA136Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportLake Wales, FLThe pilot's improper flare during a water landing, which resulted in the wings contacting the water.Feb 24, 2014 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N9563P · 1

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

Accident 19780306004949AGo Round (Aborted VFR) · Stormville, NYWinds gusting to 15KTS.Mar 6, 1978 · Substantial damage