20150228002049I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172E · Seattle, WA · February 28, 2015

Date: February 28, 2015 · 12:00 local
Place: Seattle, WA
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5721T
Reported as: Cessna 172E
Reported engine: Continental 0-300 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,150 total740 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

N5721TRegistered now · Cessna 172ES/N 17251621 · Built 1964 Airframe modelCessna 172E Engine modelContinental 0-300 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.

Possibility of water accumulation in the right side float during the training period of 1.5 hours. On landing, instructor noticed listing of the aircraft on the water, and when attempting to turn crosswind toward the docking platform, into the partially submerged right side float, the result was further induced drag as the float became less boyant. Controls were positioned correctly for the turn in normal conditions, however with the submerged float, correct control position would have dictated other than normal. (I.e. aileron). The result completely submerged the right float causing the aircaft to roll over to the right and sink.

As the FAA filed it

POSSIBILITY OF WATER ACCUMULATION IN THE RIGHT SIDE FLOAT DURING THE TRAINING PERIOD OF 1.5 HOURS. ON LANDING, INSTRUCTOR NOTICED LISTING OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE WATER, AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN CROSSWIND TOWARD THE DOCKING PLATFORM, INTO THE PARTIALLY SUBMERGED RIGHT SIDE FLOAT, THE RESULT WAS FURTHER INDUCED DRAG AS THE FLOAT BECAME LESS BOYANT. CONTROLS WERE POSITIONED CORRECTLY FOR THE TURN IN NORMAL CONDITIONS, HOWEVER WITH THE SUBMERGED FLOAT, CORRECT CONTROL POSITION WOULD HAVE DICTATED OTHER THAN NORMAL. (I.E. AILERON). THE RESULT COMPLETELY SUBMERGED THE RIGHT FLOAT CAUSING THE AIRCAFT TO ROLL OVER TO THE RIGHT AND SINK.