- Date
- January 14, 2020, 18:26 local (23:26 UTC)
- Place
- East Palatka, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N366RCPereyra Aventura
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 27, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200114003559A
- Case key
- 100832
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 properly configure the amphibious airplane for a water landing, which resulted in it flipping over.
Findings · 3
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
According to the pilot, he took off from a river behind his home and proceeded to a local airport where he lowered the landing gear and performed three touch-and-go landings. The pilot said he was preoccupied during the return flight to the river for a water landing and "forgot" to retract the landing gear for the pontoon-hull landing. At touchdown, the airplane immediately flipped over and came to rest inverted. The fuselage forward of the landing gear sustained substantial damage.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the experimental, amateur-built amphibious airplane, he took off from the river behind his home, and proceeded to a local airport where he lowered the landing gear and performed three touch-and-go landings. The pilot said he was preoccupied during the return flight for a water landing and "forgot" to retract the landing gear for the pontoon-hull landing. At touchdown, the airplane "flipped immediately" and came to rest inverted. The airplane's fuselage, forward of the landing gear was fractured. The pilot did not report any preaccident deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N366RC
- Reported as
- Pereyra Aventura (II)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- AA2A0125
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 344.66
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 26, 2019 · 43 hours before
- Departed
- East Palatka, FL
- Destination
- East Palatka, FL
- Equipment
- None
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
- 65
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 388 total · 40.4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Observed at
- 28J
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 7, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 595 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.