- Date
- July 2, 1990, 19:00 local (Jul 3, 1990, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Butterfly Lake, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3125WCessna 180B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900702026679A
- Case key
- 5401
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot failed to retract the airplane's wheel prior to a water landing. Contributing factors are his failure to follow established procedures/directives, and habit interference caused by his concern over an air traffic conflict during the preceding takeoff.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he forgot to retract the wheel portion of his amphibious float equipped airplane following a takeoff from a hard surfaced runway. Shortly thereafter, he landed in the water with the wheels extended and immediately nosed over. The pilot said that he felt rushed during his preceding takeoff due to a potential air traffic conflict, and he suspects that his concern for the location of the approaching traffic interrupted his normal habit of retracting the gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3125W
- Reported as
- Cessna 180B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 50584
- Engine
- Continental O-470K, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Raymond L. Thomas
- Departed
- ANC · Anchorage, AK
- Airport
- NONE · Butterfly Lake
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 900 total · 420 in this make and model · 840 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 155° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.