What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
At approximately 1200 LCL on June 30 2025
The water was glass and the pilot could not tell how high above the water they were. So I circled to come in on final close to the shore to validate altitude. After setting up landing attitude waited until floats touched and then reduced the power. The back of the floats touched, then the floats, and then the nose dipped. This seemed like a normal landing sequence. Airspeed gauged at about 25 mph at touchdown, then about 1 second later, aircraft made an abrupt right turn, the left wing dipped, then aircraft turned left causing the right wing to dip. We noticed water coming into the cabin and dispensed our floatation devices and swam about 150 yrds to shore. After doing the initial investigation, it appears that there may have been metal fatigue that caused the strut that holds the left float to separate from the float causing an unstable aircraft that was not controllable during the landing phase. NTSB has requested further anyalysis of that component that holds the float to the strut
As the FAA filed it
AT APPROXIMATELY 1200 LCL ON JUNE 30 2025
THE WATER WAS GLASS AND THE PILOT COULD NOT TELL HOW HIGH ABOVE THE WATER THEY WERE. SO I CIRCLED TO COME IN ON FINAL CLOSE TO THE SHORE TO VALIDATE ALTITUDE. AFTER SETTING UP LANDING ATTITUDE WAITED UNTIL FLOATS TOUCHED AND THEN REDUCED THE POWER. THE BACK OF THE FLOATS TOUCHED, THEN THE FLOATS, AND THEN THE NOSE DIPPED. THIS SEEMED LIKE A NORMAL LANDING SEQUENCE. AIRSPEED GAUGED AT ABOUT 25 MPH AT TOUCHDOWN, THEN ABOUT 1 SECOND LATER, AIRCRAFT MADE AN ABRUPT RIGHT TURN, THE LEFT WING DIPPED, THEN AIRCRAFT TURNED LEFT CAUSING THE RIGHT WING TO DIP. WE NOTICED WATER COMING INTO THE CABIN AND DISPENSED OUR FLOATATION DEVICES AND SWAM ABOUT 150 YRDS TO SHORE. AFTER DOING THE INITIAL INVESTIGATION, IT APPEARS THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN METAL FATIGUE THAT CAUSED THE STRUT THAT HOLDS THE LEFT FLOAT TO SEPARATE FROM THE FLOAT CAUSING AN UNSTABLE AIRCRAFT THAT WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE DURING THE LANDING PHASE. NTSB HAS REQUESTED FURTHER ANYALYSIS OF THAT COMPONENT THAT HOLDS THE FLOAT TO THE STRUT
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.