What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot of this amphibious flying boat departed Tyler Pounds municipal airport (tyr), stating he forgot to retract his landing gear after departure, and then landed in lake Tyler with his landing gear extended, stopping abruptly. He then raised the landing gear and performed several water takeoffs and a water landing further down the lake, followed by a return flight for a landing back at the point of origin, tyr, where he requested clearance to land from ATC, but did not declare an emergency. A fisherman who witnessed the original wheels down water landing found an airplane wheel floating in the lake where this plane had first touched down, and retrieved it, calling the local sherriff to report this. The sheriff dispatch immediately contacted tyr ATC to advise that an aircraft part was found floating in the lake where privacy data omitted had first touched down, but this call was received by ATC shortly after they had cleared privacy data omitted to land on rw 13, and just as it was on short final. As the aircraft touched down on its MLG and was rolling out, ATC advised that the plane had possibly lost a part in lake Tyler, which the PIC replied that he was unaware of anything wrong or missing from the plane. As the plane slowed and the nose settled to the runway, the pilot advised that he was dragging something. The aircraft came to rest clear of the intersecting runway, with the composite NLG fork being nearly 75% abraded away and an aproximately 12 inches long x 1 inch wide portion of the hull's keel beam ground almost completely through to the interior by the runway's surface, due to landing on the NLG fork without a nose wheel being present. The NLG down brace was found separated from the NLG strut at it's attachment. These damages were determined to be minor damages per the PIC later stated he had 3 green gear down indicator lights prior to this landing at tyr. The aircraft was equipped with right and left sponson mounted landing gear check mirrors, but the pilot did not state that he had visual confirmation of all 3 wheels being down. The inspector confirmed that there was 3 green indicated when power was applied in the hangar shortly after the incident, and that the NLG door(s) were also torn away.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT OF THIS AMPHIBIOUS FLYING BOAT DEPARTED TYLER POUNDS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (TYR), STATING HE FORGOT TO RETRACT HIS LANDING GEAR AFTER DEPARTURE, AND THEN LANDED IN LAKE TYLER WITH HIS LANDING GEAR EXTENDED, STOPPING ABRUPTLY. HE THEN RAISED THE LANDING GEAR AND PERFORMED SEVERAL WATER TAKEOFFS AND A WATER LANDING FURTHER DOWN THE LAKE, FOLLOWED BY A RETURN FLIGHT FOR A LANDING BACK AT THE POINT OF ORIGIN, TYR, WHERE HE REQUESTED CLEARANCE TO LAND FROM ATC, BUT DID NOT DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. A FISHERMAN WHO WITNESSED THE ORIGINAL WHEELS DOWN WATER LANDING FOUND AN AIRPLANE WHEEL FLOATING IN THE LAKE WHERE THIS PLANE HAD FIRST TOUCHED DOWN, AND RETRIEVED IT, CALLING THE LOCAL SHERRIFF TO REPORT THIS. THE SHERIFF DISPATCH IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED TYR ATC TO ADVISE THAT AN AIRCRAFT PART WAS FOUND FLOATING IN THE LAKE WHERE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD FIRST TOUCHED DOWN, BUT THIS CALL WAS RECEIVED BY ATC SHORTLY AFTER THEY HAD CLEARED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO LAND ON RW 13, AND JUST AS IT WAS ON SHORT FINAL. AS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON ITS MLG AND WAS ROLLING OUT, ATC ADVISED THAT THE PLANE HAD POSSIBLY LOST A PART IN LAKE TYLER, WHICH THE PIC REPLIED THAT HE WAS UNAWARE OF ANYTHING WRONG OR MISSING FROM THE PLANE. AS THE PLANE SLOWED AND THE NOSE SETTLED TO THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT ADVISED THAT HE WAS DRAGGING SOMETHING. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST CLEAR OF THE INTERSECTING RUNWAY, WITH THE COMPOSITE NLG FORK BEING NEARLY 75% ABRADED AWAY AND AN APROXIMATELY 12 INCHES LONG X 1 INCH WIDE PORTION OF THE HULL'S KEEL BEAM GROUND ALMOST COMPLETELY THROUGH TO THE INTERIOR BY THE RUNWAY'S SURFACE, DUE TO LANDING ON THE NLG FORK WITHOUT A NOSE WHEEL BEING PRESENT. THE NLG DOWN BRACE WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE NLG STRUT AT IT'S ATTACHMENT. THESE DAMAGES WERE DETERMINED TO BE MINOR DAMAGES PER THE PIC LATER STATED HE HAD 3 GREEN GEAR DOWN INDICATOR LIGHTS PRIOR TO THIS LANDING AT TYR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH RIGHT AND LEFT SPONSON MOUNTED LANDING GEAR CHECK MIRRORS, BUT THE PILOT DID NOT STATE THAT HE HAD VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF ALL 3 WHEELS BEING DOWN. THE INSPECTOR CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS 3 GREEN INDICATED WHEN POWER WAS APPLIED IN THE HANGAR SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT, AND THAT THE NLG DOOR(S) WERE ALSO TORN AWAY.
Other reports on N618AP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.