What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft made a hard landing on lake isabel, the intended destination, due to glassy water conditions that caused poor pilot depth perception. The pilot stated that he was ten feet above the water when the aircraft landed hard. The force of the impact bounced the aircraft back into the air and snapped the float cross-brace wires. The pilot set the aircraft back down and during that landing the aircraft float struts collapsed from the effects of the cross-brace wires snapping during the initial landing impact. The pilot believed that the much higher approach speed necessitated by the extremely high dentsity altitude on the day of the accident resulted in a much higher rate of decent into the lake while maintaining a constant angle of approach. This higher decent rate coupled with the lack of visual depth perception caused by the glassy water resulted in the initial landing being much firmer than anticipated. The aircraft was paddled to shore and secured.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT MADE A HARD LANDING ON LAKE ISABEL, THE INTENDED DESTINATION, DUE TO GLASSY WATER CONDITIONS THAT CAUSED POOR PILOT DEPTH PERCEPTION. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS TEN FEET ABOVE THE WATER WHEN THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD. THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT BOUNCED THE AIRCRAFT BACK INTO THE AIR AND SNAPPED THE FLOAT CROSS-BRACE WIRES. THE PILOT SET THE AIRCRAFT BACK DOWN AND DURING THAT LANDING THE AIRCRAFT FLOAT STRUTS COLLAPSED FROM THE EFFECTS OF THE CROSS-BRACE WIRES SNAPPING DURING THE INITIAL LANDING IMPACT. THE PILOT BELIEVED THAT THE MUCH HIGHER APPROACH SPEED NECESSITATED BY THE EXTREMELY HIGH DENTSITY ALTITUDE ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT RESULTED IN A MUCH HIGHER RATE OF DECENT INTO THE LAKE WHILE MAINTAINING A CONSTANT ANGLE OF APPROACH. THIS HIGHER DECENT RATE COUPLED WITH THE LACK OF VISUAL DEPTH PERCEPTION CAUSED BY THE GLASSY WATER RESULTED IN THE INITIAL LANDING BEING MUCH FIRMER THAN ANTICIPATED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PADDLED TO SHORE AND SECURED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.