ERA26FA115

On February 15, 2026, about 1155 eastern standard time, a Cessna A185F, N7574N, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Everglades City, Florida. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to preliminary ADS-B data, the airplane departed from Marco Island Executive Airport (MKY), Marco Island, Florida at 1116 and flew southeast toward the coastline. The airplane followed the coastline and performed multiple turns until it reached Pavilion Key, Florida. After flying over Pavilion Key, the airplane turned northwest and proceeded back up the coastline. About 5 miles west of Everglades City, Florida, the airplane made multiple low altitude maneuvers while flying over the Ten Thousand Islands portion of the Everglades National Park. The last ADS-B data point was about .5 mile east of the accident site. The airplane was located in the Ten Thousand Islands portion of the Everglades National Park upside down in the water. At high tide, it was observed that only the floats of the airplane were above the water line, during low tide, the floats and about half of the airplane’s fuselage were above the water line. The airplane was equipped with amphibious landing gear which was found in the “UP” (water landing) position. The water rudders were also found in the “UP” position. During the recovery of the wreckage, the airplane was turned upright, onto its floats, and towed to shore. The floats supported the weight of the airplane for several hours during the tow. After recovery, a postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, with the majority of the damage contained to the forward portion of the airplane. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all associated flight controls by manipulating the cockpit controls and observing corresponding surface movement. Binding was noted in the rudder pedals consistent with damage to the right water rudder sustained during recovery. No other flight controls exhibited unusual resistance. The flap handle was impact damaged and found in the 1st detent which is equal to 10° of flaps; however, the flaps operated normally. The horizontal stabilizer trim jack screws were measured to be 5.5 inches and was near the nose up stop. The airplane was equipped with a 3-point shoulder harness seatbelt system for the front seats. The pilot side restraint remained attached to its installation points and was undamaged. The belt buckle was found unlatched and operated normally during testing. The copilot side restraint system remained attached to its attach points, and one of the harness restraints was cut. The belt buckle was found unlatched and operated normally during testing. The pilot seat was equipped with the inertia reel secondary seat stop, which functioned normally during testing. Thewreckage was retained for further examination.