What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On the morning of 4/29/2025, at approximately 10:15 am, aircraft privacy data omitted landed on lake Crescent in Crescent City, FL, approximately 0.5 miles northwest of bear island. Upon landing, the aircraft pitched nose down to a vertical position within the water and began to submerge. The occupants (pilot and student pilot egressed the aircraft safely. The aircraft inverted in the water and remained floating with the amphibious floats on the surface. The pilot and student pilot were rescued by a nearby boater.
The FAA was notified of the incident at approximately 10:30 am by the putnam county fire department. Florida highway patrol and the putnam county sheriff's office were also on scene.
A cursory review of the aircraft maintenance logs did not indicate any mechanical issues with the floats or landing gear.
The aircraft registration and airworthiness were located in the aircraft and were verified as valid/current.
The FAA investigator in charge (iic) interviewed the following personnel:
Pilot, student pilot, aircraft owner/operator and a witnessed that provided the rescue boat.
The day prior to the incident, a familiarization flight was given by the instructor pilot. Four (4) water landings were performed/demonstrated by the instructor.
On the day of the incident, the student pilot was at the controls of the aircraft, with the instructor pilot retaining minor control for feel and mechanical feedback. As stated by both the instructor and student "they conducted their pre-landing checklist (gump and w.o.o.d.s. checks) prior to landing on the lake surface." The instructor noted that the water surface did not appear too choppy, and they decided to proceed with the landing. Both the instructor and the student felt that the approach to touchdown was too flat, and the aircraft needed to be flared more for landing. The instructor stated that the aircraft should have been approximately 5 degrees nose up on landing to allow aft portion of the floats to contact the surface. The flat attitude at landing allowed the forward portion of the floats to contact the water first and forced the nose section of the aircraft downward. Both the instructor and the student pilot stated that the landing gear handle may have been activated during egress from the aircraft, as the landing gear began to extend after the aircraft was inverted in the water. This was confirmed later during the iic post recovery inspection.
Post recovery inspection of the aircraft indicated minor damage to the lower nose fiberglass cowling. Recovery equipment (float bags and straps) contributed to damage of the upper metal cowling (buckling). No structural damage was evident at the time of recovery. The recovery team needed to make a 4-inch incision to the upper right empennage to allow water to drain and bring the aircraft to an upright horizontal position.
No damage was noted to the floats. There was a small amount of water located within the forward float bilge areas; however, this was attributed to the inverted condition of the aircraft (post incident). All float plugs and seals were present. The cockpit master switch was in the on position. The landing gear handle was in the up position.
No injuries were reported by either pilot.
As the FAA filed it
ON THE MORNING OF 4/29/2025, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:15 AM, AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ LANDED ON LAKE CRESCENT IN CRESCENT CITY, FL, APPROXIMATELY 0.5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BEAR ISLAND. UPON LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED NOSE DOWN TO A VERTICAL POSITION WITHIN THE WATER AND BEGAN TO SUBMERGE. THE OCCUPANTS (PILOT AND STUDENT PILOT EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT SAFELY. THE AIRCRAFT INVERTED IN THE WATER AND REMAINED FLOATING WITH THE AMPHIBIOUS FLOATS ON THE SURFACE. THE PILOT AND STUDENT PILOT WERE RESCUED BY A NEARBY BOATER.
THE FAA WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 AM BY THE PUTNAM COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT. FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL AND THE PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE WERE ALSO ON SCENE.
A CURSORY REVIEW OF THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGS DID NOT INDICATE ANY MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH THE FLOATS OR LANDING GEAR.
THE AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION AND AIRWORTHINESS WERE LOCATED IN THE AIRCRAFT AND WERE VERIFIED AS VALID/CURRENT.
THE FAA INVESTIGATOR IN CHARGE (IIC) INTERVIEWED THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL:
PILOT, STUDENT PILOT, AIRCRAFT OWNER/OPERATOR AND A WITNESSED THAT PROVIDED THE RESCUE BOAT.
THE DAY PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, A FAMILIARIZATION FLIGHT WAS GIVEN BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT. FOUR (4) WATER LANDINGS WERE PERFORMED/DEMONSTRATED BY THE INSTRUCTOR.
ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, THE STUDENT PILOT WAS AT THE CONTROLS OF THE AIRCRAFT, WITH THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT RETAINING MINOR CONTROL FOR FEEL AND MECHANICAL FEEDBACK. AS STATED BY BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT "THEY CONDUCTED THEIR PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST (GUMP AND W.O.O.D.S. CHECKS) PRIOR TO LANDING ON THE LAKE SURFACE." THE INSTRUCTOR NOTED THAT THE WATER SURFACE DID NOT APPEAR TOO CHOPPY, AND THEY DECIDED TO PROCEED WITH THE LANDING. BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT FELT THAT THE APPROACH TO TOUCHDOWN WAS TOO FLAT, AND THE AIRCRAFT NEEDED TO BE FLARED MORE FOR LANDING. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPROXIMATELY 5 DEGREES NOSE UP ON LANDING TO ALLOW AFT PORTION OF THE FLOATS TO CONTACT THE SURFACE. THE FLAT ATTITUDE AT LANDING ALLOWED THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE FLOATS TO CONTACT THE WATER FIRST AND FORCED THE NOSE SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT DOWNWARD. BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE MAY HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED DURING EGRESS FROM THE AIRCRAFT, AS THE LANDING GEAR BEGAN TO EXTEND AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS INVERTED IN THE WATER. THIS WAS CONFIRMED LATER DURING THE IIC POST RECOVERY INSPECTION.
POST RECOVERY INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT INDICATED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LOWER NOSE FIBERGLASS COWLING. RECOVERY EQUIPMENT (FLOAT BAGS AND STRAPS) CONTRIBUTED TO DAMAGE OF THE UPPER METAL COWLING (BUCKLING). NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT AT THE TIME OF RECOVERY. THE RECOVERY TEAM NEEDED TO MAKE A 4-INCH INCISION TO THE UPPER RIGHT EMPENNAGE TO ALLOW WATER TO DRAIN AND BRING THE AIRCRAFT TO AN UPRIGHT HORIZONTAL POSITION.
NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO THE FLOATS. THERE WAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER LOCATED WITHIN THE FORWARD FLOAT BILGE AREAS; HOWEVER, THIS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE INVERTED CONDITION OF THE AIRCRAFT (POST INCIDENT). ALL FLOAT PLUGS AND SEALS WERE PRESENT. THE COCKPIT MASTER SWITCH WAS IN THE ON POSITION. THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE UP POSITION.
NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED BY EITHER PILOT.