CEN11LA632

NTSB accident investigation · Piper/Cub Crafters PA-18-150 · Long Lake, WI · September 8, 2011

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
September 8, 2011, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
Place
Long Lake, WI
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N902CCPiper/Cub Crafters PA-18-150
Defining event
Landing: Landing gear not configured
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report November 26, 2012
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Adminstration
FAA report
20110908019269A
Case key
81752

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to complete the prelanding checklist, which resulted in the landing gear wheels not being retracted for the water landing.

Findings · 2

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Landing gear systemAircraft › Aircraft systems · Incorrect use/operationPiper/Cub Crafters PA-18-150: 1 caseAll aircraft: 113 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot stated that he was performing a touch-and-go landing on a lake in his float-equipped airplane. He said that the landing gear wheels on the floats were extended, so upon touchdown the wheels contacted the water and the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that he did not complete the prelanding checklist to ensure that the landing gear wheels were retracted.

Factual narrative

On September 8, 2011, about 1015 central daylight time, a float-equipped Piper/Cub Crafters, PA-18-150, N902CC, nosed over during a touch and go landing on Long Lake near Centuria, Wisconsin. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The airplane was registered to Matts Cats LLC and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed for the flight destined to a lake near Minong, Wisconsin. The pilot stated that while en route to Minong, Wisconsin, he saw Long Lake and wanted to perform a touch and go landing on it before continuing to his final destination. He stated that he failed to go through the prelanding checklist and retract the landing gear wheels on the floats prior to the touch and go. He said that the landing gear warning annunciated about the time the wheels contacted the lake. As the wheels contacted the lake, the airplane flipped over.

Aircraft

Registration
N902CC
Reported as
Piper/Cub Crafters PA-18-150
Category
Airplane
Serial number
9902CC
Airframe hours
1,336
Engine
Lycoming O-360-C4P, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Pilot
Registered owner
Matts Cats LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · February 4, 2011
Departed
OEO · Osceola, WI
Destination
Minong, WI
Airport
Long 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
54
Injuries
Minor
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
February 18, 2011
Seat
Center
Flight hours
4,433 total · 1,384 in this make and model · 4,314 as pilot in command · 145 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
340° at 3 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
66 °F, dew point 59 °F
Altimeter
30.31 inHg
Observed at
OEO, 11 nm away

Docket · 1

The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 1, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 924 KB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.