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20260307004439I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 170B · Tavares, FL · March 7, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 7, 2026 · 12:00 local
Place
Tavares, FL
Airport
Tavares Seaplane Base
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8285A
Reported as
Cessna 170B
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
8,800 total3,100 in this make and model75 in the last 90 days
N8285ARegistered now · Cessna 170BS/N 25137 · Built 1952Airframe modelCessna 170BEngine modelContinental C145 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.

Two persons onboard, pilot and spouse. On 03/07/2026 at approximately 12:00 EST (1700Z) pilot was descending to waterway 9W for landing. Video obtained from a witness, shows the aircraft approach at a rapid rate of descent. Aircraft hit the water hard, bounced and hit hard again then pitched forward causing the propeller to impact the left float. Pilot and passenger then exited the aircraft with no injuries. Aircraft was towed to shore for recovery.

As the FAA filed it

TWO PERSONS ONBOARD, PILOT AND SPOUSE. ON 03/07/2026 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:00 EST (1700Z) PILOT WAS DESCENDING TO WATERWAY 9W FOR LANDING. VIDEO OBTAINED FROM A WITNESS, SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACH AT A RAPID RATE OF DESCENT. AIRCRAFT HIT THE WATER HARD, BOUNCED AND HIT HARD AGAIN THEN PITCHED FORWARD CAUSING THE PROPELLER TO IMPACT THE LEFT FLOAT. PILOT AND PASSENGER THEN EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INJURIES. AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO SHORE FOR RECOVERY.