# NTSB ERA21LA004: Cessna 182, N6506M, Beechhurst, NY, October 4, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: October 4, 2020, 15:05 local (19:05 UTC) - Place: Beechhurst, NY · East river then hit a concrete pier - Coordinates: 40.796108, -73.803415 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7961&lon=-73.8034&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal, 2 serious - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: Tzavelis - NTSB case key (mKey): 102080 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA21LA004 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/102080/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102080 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA004 ## Probable cause The pilot’s selection of a landing area that provided inadequate distance from obstacles and his subsequent decision to abort the landing with inadequate takeoff distance available, which resulted in a high-speed collision with a concrete bulkhead. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind, which degraded the airplane’s performance and handling characteristics. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182P, 16 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=2075816), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) - [Wind: tailwind](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on operation; cases with it: [Cessna 182P, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015/cases.md?model=2075816), [All aircraft, 594 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03034015/cases.md) - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182P, 18 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=2075816), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 182P, 25 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=2075816), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Landing-aborted after touchdown: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 182P, 47 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2075816), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot of the amphibious float-equipped airplane was landing on a river near his home. The pilot reported that the airplane bounced after touchdown and he applied full throttle to abort the landing, during which the airplane veered left and impacted a concrete bulkhead. The pilot-rated passenger reported that, during touchdown, the pilot attempted to avoid a boat and the airplane veered left. The floats contacted the wake from the boat, resulting in a bounce, after which the pilot applied power to abort the landing. The pilot and passenger both reported that, had the pilot reduced engine power to idle instead of attempting to take off, the airplane would have collided with the bulkhead at a slower speed. Surveillance video captured the airplane travelling at high speed, in a nose-high attitude, with both pontoons in the water when it collided with the bulkhead. The pontoons were generating white foam, spray, and a noticeable wake. A witness on a nearby boat reported that the airplane was landing with a 10- to 15-knot tailwind and a weather observation from the nearest airport indicated a 10-knot quartering tailwind for the pilot’s chosen landing direction. Based on the available information, it is most likely that the pilot selected a landing area where tailwind conditions prevailed and that provided inadequate distance from obstacles (boats and the concrete bulkhead). His subsequent decision to abort the landing with insufficient takeoff distance available resulted in a high-speed collision with the concrete bulkhead. It is likely that the tailwind/quartering tailwind conditions contributed to the accident by increasing the airplane’s touchdown speed, decreasing its directional stability upon touchdown, and increasing the takeoff distance after the pilot chose to abort the landing. ## Factual narrative On October 4, 2020, about 1505 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182P amphibious floatplane, N6506M, was involved in an accident near Beechhurst, New York. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger in the copilot seat were seriously injured, and the passenger in the rear seat was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were interviewed by New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspectors. The pilot reported that he did not remember the events surrounding the accident. The pilot-rated passenger reported that the purpose of the flight was to fly from Brookhaven Airport (HWV) to the pilot’s home on the south bank of the East River between the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. The passenger stated that the pilot initiated the landing approach on the eastern side of the Throgs Neck Bridge and flew the approach westbound and beneath the bridge “as they normally do.” He said that as the airplane touched down on the water, they noticed a boat had recently crossed their intended landing path and created a wake, which the airplane struck, causing it to “bounce twice.” The pilot appeared to “veer left” to avoid the wake but realized that the airplane was “too fast” as it approached a concrete pier on the river’s southern bank. The pilot increased engine power to initiate a go-around, provoking the passenger to ask, “What are you doing?” The passenger went on to explain that collision with the dock was inevitable and that, if the pilot “were to have cut the power, the crash would have been a lot less forceful.” In a written statement, a pilot-rated witness traveling eastbound by boat about 200 to 300 yards west of the airplane’s initial touchdown point stated that the airplane was landing downwind with an estimated tailwind of 10 to 15 knots. He stated, “First water contact was nearly level and produced a very high rebound. Second contact appeared to be left pontoon only which may have skewed the craft to the south leading to the impact.” The witness then responded to the scene and provided first aid and assistance to the occupants. Weeks after the accident, the pilot was interviewed by FAA aviation safety inspectors. He provided an account of the accident consistent with that provided by his pilot-rated passenger. The pilot was asked specifically about the performance of the airplane at the point where he attempted to abort the landing. He stated that he applied full throttle and that the engine responded with “correct full throttle power and that the engine was performing normally.” The pilot said that the airplane lacked the airspeed and the distance necessary to successfully complete a safe takeoff. He added, “I don’t know why I pushed the throttle.” The pilot said that the airplane would have impacted the bulkhead regardless but at a much slower speed. Review ofsurveillance video recovered by NYPD detectives revealed only a brief view of the airplane before impact. The airplane was travelling at a high rate, in a nose-high attitude, with both pontoons in the water when it collided with the pier. The pontoons generated white foam and spray and a noticeable wake. The airplane was destroyed by impact. The engine was separated from its mounts, and the floats were entangled with the fuselage. The airplane was recovered to an aircraft recovery facility where it was later examined. The examination revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. A surface observation at LaGuardia International Airport (LGA), 4 miles west of the accident site, recorded wind from 050° at 10 knots. The Federal Aviation Administration Seaplane, Skiplane, and Float/Ski Equipped Helicopter Operations Handbook (FAA-H-8083-23-1) stated: If a seaplane touches down while drifting sideways, the sudden resistance as the floats contact the water creates a skidding force that tends to push the downwind float deeper into the water. The combination of the skidding force, wind, and weathervaning as the seaplane slows down can lead to a loss of directional control and a waterloop….Floatplanes frequently have less crosswind component capability than their landplane counterparts. Directional control can be more difficult on water because the surface is more yielding, there is less surface friction than on land, and seaplanes lack brakes. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6506M](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6506M), registered now, S/N 18263735, built 1975 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 182 (P) - Registry model: [Cessna 182P](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182p) (registry code 2075816) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470-S](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-s) (registry code 17375, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18263735 - Year built: 1975 - Airframe hours: 2693.2 - Engines: Continental IO-550D 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 3, 2020 - Departed: HWV, Shirley, NY - Destination: Same as departure - Airport: runway 09, water - Equipment: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 3,850 total, 1,000 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 50° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 12,000 ft broken - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.18 inHg - Observed at: KLGA, 4 nm away - METAR: KLGA 041851Z 05010KT 10SM SCT055 BKN120 BKN200 BKN260 18/07 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP220 T01830067 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20201004016929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201004016929A), Oct 4, 2020: Cessna 182P, Queens, NY, Destroyed, 1 fatal. N6506M departed from brookhaven airport (khwv),shirley, NY,approximately 1437 EDT initially flying sw bound until over water then turning more wsw bound flying… ## Docket (10 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 16, 2021, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=102080. 8.2 MB in all. - Pilot interview (FAA) (item 1, PDF, 2 pages, 227 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12574620&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%20interview%20-%20FAA_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot's interview (nypd) (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 37 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12573763&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=pilot%20interview%20-NYPD_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot-rated passenger interview (nypd) (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 68 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12573869&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Copilot%20Interview%20with%20NYPD_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot-rated passenger interview (FAA) (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 230 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12573773&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Copilot%20Interview%20-%20FAA-Rel.pdf - Witness statement (item 5, PDF, 1 page, 12 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12574630&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Witness%20Statement%2010_4_20_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Video file - surveillance video (provided by nypd) (item 6, MOV, 253 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12574242&FileExtension=mov&FileName=IMG_1537-Rel.mov - Annual inspection (item 7, PDF, 1 page, 710 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12574796&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Airframe%20annual_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Wreckage examination summary (item 8, PDF, 7 pages, 3.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12574892&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Wreckage%20Exam%20Notes%2010-04-20%201975%20182P%2018263735%20N6506M%20Beechhurst%20NY%201F%202S-Rel.pdf - Photo array (item 9, PDF, 5 pages, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12574252&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array%20004-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 10, PDF, 1 page, 516 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=12579692&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage%2021LA004_Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.