- Date
- April 16, 2013, 17:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Palatka, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N812FCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130416005479A
- Case key
- 86669
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 retract the landing gear after takeoff from a runway, and his subsequent water landing with the wheels extended.
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 pilot reported that he was performing a water touch-and-go landing on a river, about 3 miles from the departure airport. He also reported that he was distracted by potential skydivers, towers in the area, and by his passenger as they discussed the route of flight. He did not retract the landing gear after he took off and he landed the amphibious airplane on the water with the wheels extended. The airplane immediately nosed over and came to rest inverted in the water. The pilot reported that the fuselage and wings sustained structural damage. He did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The private pilot reported that he was performing a water touch-and-go landing on a river, about three miles from the departure airport. He also reported that he was distracted by potential skydivers, towers in the area, and by discussing the route of flight with his passenger. He did not retract the landing gear following the previous runway takeoff, and landed the amphibious airplane on the water with the wheels extended. The airplane immediately nosed over and came to rest inverted in the water. The pilot reported that the fuselage and wings sustained structural damage. He did not report any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N812F
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503277
- Airframe hours
- 6,974
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lindsay A. Weaver
- Registered owner
- Mountain Skywagon LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 16, 2012 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- 28J · Palatka, FL
- Destination
- ARW · Beaufort, SC
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 4, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,779 total · 519 in this make and model · 2,553 as pilot in command · 73 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- SGJ, 23 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 6, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 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.