What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The PIC flew with the intention of becoming current by making 3 land and 3 water landings at various locations. On the first amphibious landing on a lake, the pilot made sure the wheels were retracted in the floats as he made his approach to land. The pilot stated the lake was glassy smooth. He thought he was approximately 20 feet above the surface when the floats impacted the water in a slight nose down attitude. This led to a hard landing and porpoising. A witness on a nearby dock saw the aircraft tail contact the water. The pilot stated he decided not to accelerate for a go around and attempted to regain control of the landing. As porpoising continued, attachment struts partially detached from the floats, puncturing the lower left fuselage in two locations. The aircraft leaned forward and nose down on the floats resulting in a prop strike to the right float. The aircraft came to a halt on the lake and the witness on the dock arrived soon after with his boat to transport the pilot to the shore. Several minutes later, the sliced float took on enough water to dip the aircraft nose further. The fuselage damage began to take on water and the aircraft overturned. The aircraft was towed soon after to the public boat landing.
As the FAA filed it
THE PIC FLEW WITH THE INTENTION OF BECOMING CURRENT BY MAKING 3 LAND AND 3 WATER LANDINGS AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS. ON THE FIRST AMPHIBIOUS LANDING ON A LAKE, THE PILOT MADE SURE THE WHEELS WERE RETRACTED IN THE FLOATS AS HE MADE HIS APPROACH TO LAND. THE PILOT STATED THE LAKE WAS GLASSY SMOOTH. HE THOUGHT HE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WHEN THE FLOATS IMPACTED THE WATER IN A SLIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THIS LED TO A HARD LANDING AND PORPOISING. A WITNESS ON A NEARBY DOCK SAW THE AIRCRAFT TAIL CONTACT THE WATER. THE PILOT STATED HE DECIDED NOT TO ACCELERATE FOR A GO AROUND AND ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE LANDING. AS PORPOISING CONTINUED, ATTACHMENT STRUTS PARTIALLY DETACHED FROM THE FLOATS, PUNCTURING THE LOWER LEFT FUSELAGE IN TWO LOCATIONS. THE AIRCRAFT LEANED FORWARD AND NOSE DOWN ON THE FLOATS RESULTING IN A PROP STRIKE TO THE RIGHT FLOAT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A HALT ON THE LAKE AND THE WITNESS ON THE DOCK ARRIVED SOON AFTER WITH HIS BOAT TO TRANSPORT THE PILOT TO THE SHORE. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, THE SLICED FLOAT TOOK ON ENOUGH WATER TO DIP THE AIRCRAFT NOSE FURTHER. THE FUSELAGE DAMAGE BEGAN TO TAKE ON WATER AND THE AIRCRAFT OVERTURNED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED SOON AFTER TO THE PUBLIC BOAT LANDING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.