- Date
- September 20, 2010, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Springville, TN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N63XTSkykits Savannah
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 21, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100920047729A
- Case key
- 77368
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
Collision with an unknown object during 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.
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 purpose of the flight was for the flight instructor to give instruction to the pilot and endorse him for a light sport aircraft sea rating. The flight instructor reported that during the initial landing on a lake, as the water line moved about three-quarters of the way up the floats, the airplane suddenly pitched over and became inverted. The pilot receiving instruction believed the airplane struck an object during landing. A post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right float sustained substantial damage consistent with contact with an object and that no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies were found. The object struck by the seaplane could not be identified.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor, the amphibious airplane departed Paris Henry County airport en route to a portion of Kentucky Lake called “Big Sandy." The flight instructor was giving dual instruction to endorse the pilot for a light sport aircraft sea rating. The flight instructor reported that during the initial landing on the lake, as the water line moved about three-quarters of the way up the floats, the airplane suddenly pitched over. The airplane became inverted with the floats on the surface. The two pilots exited the airplane with no injuries and held on the floats until help arrived. The pilot receiving instruction believed the airplane struck an object during landing. A post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right float sustained substantial damage consistent with contact with an object and that no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies were found. The object struck by the seaplane could not be identified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63XT
- Reported as
- Skykits Savannah (VG)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 06-11-51-551
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Skykits Corp
- Registered owner
- Skykits Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Departed
- PHT · Henry County, TN
- Destination
- N/A · Springville, TN
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 25, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 9,025 total · 5 in this make and model · 8,925 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 2, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 685 total · 600 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- CKV, 38 nm away
Docket · 11
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 3, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB 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.