- Date
- May 22, 1993, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Timbalier Isle, LA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3588Cessna A185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930522015069A
- Case key
- 18754
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
Pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation in the selection of his takeoff route. A factor was the sand bar
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During an open water departure the seaplane was at rotation speed when it struck a sand bar. Following the sand bar strike the airplane nosed over to the inverted position. The airplane had landed one hour earlier when the tide was in and when the takeoff was attempted the tide had gone out
Factual narrative
On May 22, 1993, at approximately 1700 central daylight time, a Cessna A185F, N3588, was substantially damaged upon impact with a sand bar while attempting a water takeoff near Timbalier Isle, in the Gulf of Mexico. The commercial pilot and his 3 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 135 flight.
According to the operator, in a written statement, the airplane was on a return trip from an all day fishing trip to Timbalier Isle. The pilot attempted to takeoff in the same area where he made a successful water landing one hour prior to the accident. The operator added that the airplane was at rotation speed when both floats impacted a sand bar in the prevailing low tide conditions, resulting in the airplane nosing over and coming to rest inverted in the shallow water. The pilot further reported that if "he had left earlier or to have had better knowledge of the area," the accident would not have happened.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3588
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502259
- Airframe hours
- 7,227
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Southern Seaplane Inc.
- Registered owner
- Southern Seaplane Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 3, 1993 · 88 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- 65LA · Belle Chasse, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,150 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.