What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 25, 2022 at approximately 2309, a single engine Cessna 180A seaplane,privacy data omitted was destroyed when it impacted the water at privacy data omitted under unknown circumstances. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft was fatally injured and the aircraft was substantially damaged. There were no witnesses to the accident and the time of the accident is approximate. The aircraft was located partially submerged in the lake. The main wreckage consisted of the airframe, engine and the right float partially attached to the aircraft. The left float was located floating approximately 300 feet away from the main wreckage. The main wreckage was moved partially on shore several days after the accident and the left float was recovered to land on the aircraft owner’s property at the lake.
Examination of the wreckage showed substantial damage to almost all structural components of the aircraft. The engine and propeller exhibited frontal impact damage consistent with a water impact, but remained attached to the fuselage. The engine was partially submerged such that most components could not be examined. The engine turned freely by hand. Both propeller blades were bent rearward in a smooth arc along the span of each blade and did not exhibit any impact marks or chord wise scratches. The tip of one blade was curled rearward approximately three inches and exhibited chord wise gouges. All accessories appeared to be attached to the engine, but function could not be determined due to being submerged in the lake. Both wings, empennage and fuselage exhibited impact damage and had several areas that aluminum skin and underlying structure were crushed or buckled by overload forces. Control cable continuity was confirmed to all flight controls.
Both floats exhibited severe corrosion on the bottom hull structures. The right float has a hole approximately nine inches wide by twelve inches long on the outboard side. The width of the hole extends from the keel to the outboard chine. The skin is attached at the aft edge and is bent rearward. The skin at the forward outboard edge is separated from the chine for a length of ten inches forward of the hole. It does not show any sign of fracture or tear on the outboard side and appears to be corroded though the thickness of the skin at the edge of the separation. There is an external patch skin repair approximately four inches by three inches at the forward edge of the hole and parallel to the separation at the chine. There is no evidence of foreign object damage or impact damage throughout the area of the hull bottom. The bumper is missing from the front of the right float and there slight forward impact crush damage to the float structure. The top of the right float at the front has two lateral propeller slashes penetrating most of the way across the width of the upper skin. The front and rear struts are attached to the right float and are separated by fracture from the fuselage at the upper strut attach points. The spreader bars remain attached to the right float and are separated by fracture at the attach points to the left float.
The left float is mostly undamaged with only forward impact damage to the front bumper area and slight crush damage. The front and rear struts remain attached to the float and are separated by fracture from the fuselage at the upper attach points. Both spreader bars are separated from the float by fracture. Severe corrosion is present along the full length of the hull.
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As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 AT APPROXIMATELY 2309, A SINGLE ENGINE CESSNA 180A SEAPLANE,^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE WATER AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT AND THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT IS APPROXIMATE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN THE LAKE. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CONSISTED OF THE AIRFRAME, ENGINE AND THE RIGHT FLOAT PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE LEFT FLOAT WAS LOCATED FLOATING APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AWAY FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS MOVED PARTIALLY ON SHORE SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND THE LEFT FLOAT WAS RECOVERED TO LAND ON THE AIRCRAFT OWNER’S PROPERTY AT THE LAKE.
EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE SHOWED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ALMOST ALL STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER EXHIBITED FRONTAL IMPACT DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH A WATER IMPACT, BUT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE. THE ENGINE WAS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED SUCH THAT MOST COMPONENTS COULD NOT BE EXAMINED. THE ENGINE TURNED FREELY BY HAND. BOTH PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT REARWARD IN A SMOOTH ARC ALONG THE SPAN OF EACH BLADE AND DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY IMPACT MARKS OR CHORD WISE SCRATCHES. THE TIP OF ONE BLADE WAS CURLED REARWARD APPROXIMATELY THREE INCHES AND EXHIBITED CHORD WISE GOUGES. ALL ACCESSORIES APPEARED TO BE ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE, BUT FUNCTION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED DUE TO BEING SUBMERGED IN THE LAKE. BOTH WINGS, EMPENNAGE AND FUSELAGE EXHIBITED IMPACT DAMAGE AND HAD SEVERAL AREAS THAT ALUMINUM SKIN AND UNDERLYING STRUCTURE WERE CRUSHED OR BUCKLED BY OVERLOAD FORCES. CONTROL CABLE CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED TO ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS.
BOTH FLOATS EXHIBITED SEVERE CORROSION ON THE BOTTOM HULL STRUCTURES. THE RIGHT FLOAT HAS A HOLE APPROXIMATELY NINE INCHES WIDE BY TWELVE INCHES LONG ON THE OUTBOARD SIDE. THE WIDTH OF THE HOLE EXTENDS FROM THE KEEL TO THE OUTBOARD CHINE. THE SKIN IS ATTACHED AT THE AFT EDGE AND IS BENT REARWARD. THE SKIN AT THE FORWARD OUTBOARD EDGE IS SEPARATED FROM THE CHINE FOR A LENGTH OF TEN INCHES FORWARD OF THE HOLE. IT DOES NOT SHOW ANY SIGN OF FRACTURE OR TEAR ON THE OUTBOARD SIDE AND APPEARS TO BE CORRODED THOUGH THE THICKNESS OF THE SKIN AT THE EDGE OF THE SEPARATION. THERE IS AN EXTERNAL PATCH SKIN REPAIR APPROXIMATELY FOUR INCHES BY THREE INCHES AT THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE HOLE AND PARALLEL TO THE SEPARATION AT THE CHINE. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE OR IMPACT DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE AREA OF THE HULL BOTTOM. THE BUMPER IS MISSING FROM THE FRONT OF THE RIGHT FLOAT AND THERE SLIGHT FORWARD IMPACT CRUSH DAMAGE TO THE FLOAT STRUCTURE. THE TOP OF THE RIGHT FLOAT AT THE FRONT HAS TWO LATERAL PROPELLER SLASHES PENETRATING MOST OF THE WAY ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE UPPER SKIN. THE FRONT AND REAR STRUTS ARE ATTACHED TO THE RIGHT FLOAT AND ARE SEPARATED BY FRACTURE FROM THE FUSELAGE AT THE UPPER STRUT ATTACH POINTS. THE SPREADER BARS REMAIN ATTACHED TO THE RIGHT FLOAT AND ARE SEPARATED BY FRACTURE AT THE ATTACH POINTS TO THE LEFT FLOAT.
THE LEFT FLOAT IS MOSTLY UNDAMAGED WITH ONLY FORWARD IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMPER AREA AND SLIGHT CRUSH DAMAGE. THE FRONT AND REAR STRUTS REMAIN ATTACHED TO THE FLOAT AND ARE SEPARATED BY FRACTURE FROM THE FUSELAGE AT THE UPPER ATTACH POINTS. BOTH SPREADER BARS ARE SEPARATED FROM THE FLOAT BY FRACTURE. SEVERE CORROSION IS PRESENT ALONG THE FULL LENGTH OF THE HULL.
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NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.