# NTSB FTW04CA240: Carter-Jones Volmer Sportsman, N70HR, Grand Prarie, TX, September 23, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: September 23, 2004, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC) - Place: Grand Prarie, TX - Coordinates: 32.698333, -97.046386 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6983&lon=-97.0464&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 28, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Dallas FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 60220 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW04CA240 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60220/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW04CA240 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to complete a pre-landing checklist, which resulted in a gear down landing on the water. A factor was the pilot's diverted attention as a result of abnormal engine indications. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Wheels down landing in water, landing - flare/touchdown - diverted attention, pilot in command (contributing factor) - gear retraction - not performed, pilot in command (cause) - checklist - not performed, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis A 15,540-hour pilot reported that during an approach to land his amphibian experimental airplane on a lake, he noticed that the oil temperature gauge read excessively high and the oil pressure gauge read excessively low. Distracted by these indications and other factors, the pilot failed to complete his pre-landing checklist. The airplane touched down in the water with the landing gear extended, which resulted in a nose-over. The airplane came to rest inverted and submerged in the water. ## Factual narrative On September 23, 2004, approximately 0845 central daylight time, a Carter-Jones Volmer Sportsman amphibian airplane, N70HR, was substantially damaged during a wheels-down landing in the water on Joe Pool Lake near Grand Prairie, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant and owner and operator of the single-engine home-built aircraft, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 that originated from the Mid-Way Regional Airport (4T6) near Waxahachie, Texas. In a written statement, the 15,540-hour pilot reported that he approached Joe Pool Lake from the south and entered a left traffic pattern on the downwind segment. He reported that he was performing a pre-landing checklist, when he noticed that the oil temperature gauge read excessively high and the oil pressure gauge read excessively low. Subsequently, the pilot reduced power to reduce strain on the engine. The pilot stated that he became distracted by the possible loss of power from the engine, in addition to other potential traffic in the area and the altitude required to maintain clearance with a dam on his final approach path. He reported that the combination of these distractions prevented him from completing the pre-landing checklist. The pilot made a second power reduction to 1,700 revolutions per minute (rpm) to continue his approach to land on the glassy water, not realizing that his landing gear was extended. Assuring that the area was clear of traffic and a safety boat was in position, the pilot continued his approach and touched down in the water, tail wheel first, and felt that his attitude was correct for a smooth landing. When the pilot expected to hear the hissing of the water on the hull at the step, the pilot, instead, saw two columns of water on both sides of the cockpit shooting straight up. The airplane then violently nosed down into the water and came to rest inverted and submerged in the lake. Realizing that he was under water, the pilot proceeded with the emergency egress technique and escaped to the surface, uninjured. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the site of the accident, and the aircraft was recovered from the lake on the day of the accident. At 0845, the automated weather observing system at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (GPM) near Grand Prairie, Texas, located approximately five miles west of the accident site, reported wind from 160 degrees at 3 knots, 10 statute miles of visibility, scattered clouds at 7,500 feet and 12,000 feet, temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.09 inches of Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N70HR](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N70HR-2018-01-23), registration cancelled 2018-01-23, S/N CJ-1 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Carter-Jones Volmer Sportsman - Registry model: [Carter-Jones VOLMER SPORTSMAN](https://openairdocs.org/model/carter-jones-volmer-sportsman) (registry code 957027B) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: CJ-1 - Airframe hours: 600 - Engines: Franklin Sport 4 R 130 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: David Hoffmeister - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: 4T6, Midlothian, TX - Destination: Grand Prarie, TX - Flight plan: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 69; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: front; flight hours: 15,540 total, 50 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: GPM, 5 nm away ## 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 20040923023389A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040923023389A), Sep 23, 2004: Amtr VJ22, Grand Prairie, TX, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot departed midway airport (4T6) at 0800 hours and attempted a landing at joe pool lake in Grand Prairie Texas. Pilot had approval from corp. of… 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.