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20250612009519I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Aviat A-1B · Bozman, MD · June 12, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 12, 2025 · 12:25 local
Place
Bozman, MD
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N103HY
Reported as
Aviat A-1B
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,114 total16 in this make and model47 in the last 90 days
N103HYRegistered now · Aviat A-1BS/N 2241 · Built 2003Airframe modelAviat A-1BEngine modelLycoming O-360 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.

On 06/12/2025 at approximately 12:25 local time, the pilot of an amphibious float plane landed on harris creek in Bozman, MD, with the landing gear in the down position. Upon landing the airplane flipped over on its nose and wound up on its back. This was confirmed by a video of the landing taken by the pilot's wife who was standing on shore when the incident happened. The video showed that the gear was down. The plane sustained minor damage to the floats as they appear to have hit the bottom of the creek when it flipped over in about 4FT of water. The pilot was the sole occupant and was not injured.

Upon interviewing the pilot, he stated that he thought that the landing gear was in the up position and was good for a water landing. The investigation showed (by his wife's video of the landing) that the landing gear was in the down position. Once the investigating aviation safety inspector arrived a couple hours after the incident occured, the plane was still in the water on its back. This being the case we, were not able to conduct an examination of the airplane until the next day when the plane was pulled from the creek. Upon examining the plane, the gear handle was found in the up position. When we examined the landing gear, the front two appeared to be in transition and had broken off during the impact, likely due to contact with the bottom of the creek, as the water depth was only about 4 ft. the two main gear were in the retracted position. We consulted with the manufacturer of the floats to see if the system could have been energized to retract the gear if the plane was on its back in the water. They stated, yes, if the system still had adaquate pressure. We believe that when the plane flipped over the pilot's knee hit the landing gear switch which activated the retraction cycle, which would explain why the main gear were in the up position. The gear switch is located just above where the pilots right knee whould have been. Also, we considered that maybe the switch was activated when the pilot exited the plane after it had flipped over.

As the FAA filed it

ON 06/12/2025 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:25 LOCAL TIME, THE PILOT OF AN AMPHIBIOUS FLOAT PLANE LANDED ON HARRIS CREEK IN BOZMAN, MD, WITH THE LANDING GEAR IN THE DOWN POSITION. UPON LANDING THE AIRPLANE FLIPPED OVER ON ITS NOSE AND WOUND UP ON ITS BACK. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY A VIDEO OF THE LANDING TAKEN BY THE PILOT'S WIFE WHO WAS STANDING ON SHORE WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED. THE VIDEO SHOWED THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN. THE PLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FLOATS AS THEY APPEAR TO HAVE HIT THE BOTTOM OF THE CREEK WHEN IT FLIPPED OVER IN ABOUT 4FT OF WATER. THE PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT AND WAS NOT INJURED.

UPON INTERVIEWING THE PILOT, HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE UP POSITION AND WAS GOOD FOR A WATER LANDING. THE INVESTIGATION SHOWED (BY HIS WIFE'S VIDEO OF THE LANDING) THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION. ONCE THE INVESTIGATING AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR ARRIVED A COUPLE HOURS AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURED, THE PLANE WAS STILL IN THE WATER ON ITS BACK. THIS BEING THE CASE WE, WERE NOT ABLE TO CONDUCT AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE PLANE WAS PULLED FROM THE CREEK. UPON EXAMINING THE PLANE, THE GEAR HANDLE WAS FOUND IN THE UP POSITION. WHEN WE EXAMINED THE LANDING GEAR, THE FRONT TWO APPEARED TO BE IN TRANSITION AND HAD BROKEN OFF DURING THE IMPACT, LIKELY DUE TO CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE CREEK, AS THE WATER DEPTH WAS ONLY ABOUT 4 FT. THE TWO MAIN GEAR WERE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. WE CONSULTED WITH THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FLOATS TO SEE IF THE SYSTEM COULD HAVE BEEN ENERGIZED TO RETRACT THE GEAR IF THE PLANE WAS ON ITS BACK IN THE WATER. THEY STATED, YES, IF THE SYSTEM STILL HAD ADAQUATE PRESSURE. WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN THE PLANE FLIPPED OVER THE PILOT'S KNEE HIT THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH WHICH ACTIVATED THE RETRACTION CYCLE, WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN WHY THE MAIN GEAR WERE IN THE UP POSITION. THE GEAR SWITCH IS LOCATED JUST ABOVE WHERE THE PILOTS RIGHT KNEE WHOULD HAVE BEEN. ALSO, WE CONSIDERED THAT MAYBE THE SWITCH WAS ACTIVATED WHEN THE PILOT EXITED THE PLANE AFTER IT HAD FLIPPED OVER.