- Date
- January 18, 1991, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Patterson, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N63130Cessna 180K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910118000819A
- Case key
- 18068
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's failure to identify an unsafe or hazardous condition. Factors were: rough water and high winds.
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 tried three times to take off and aborted each attempt due to rough sea. He then noticed the left float was sinking due to several missing bilge plugs. After shutting down the engine, he attempted to pump out the float and plug the holes with wadded paper. When the airplane began to list, he told his passengers to don life vests. The passengers exited the airplane and tried to stop water seepage into the right float. When they looked around for the pilot, he had disappeared. He was last seen holding onto his life vest and treading water. He is presumed drowned. His inflated life vest was recovered. The passengers were rescued by a passing ship.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63130
- Reported as
- Cessna 180K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052831
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Aquatic Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Aquatic Aviation, Inc.
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
- 38
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 125 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N63130 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.