- Date
- December 17, 1993, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Leesburg, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N58DGGrumman G-44A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931217047029A
- Case key
- 37471
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 misjudged his altitude over glassy water during landing and inadvertently touched down in a flat attitude.
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
The pilot stated he encountered glassy water as he initiated his landing flare. He then lost all depth perception and before he initiate a go-around the aircraft inadvertently touched down in a flat attitude and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On December 17, 1993, about 1230 eastern standard time, a Grumman G-44A, N58DG, registered to David S. Garber, crashed while landing on Lake Griffin, Leesburg, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91, personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the airline transport-rated pilot received minor injuries. The flight originated at Leesburg Municipal Airport, Leesburg, Florida, on December 17, 1993, at 1225.
The pilot stated he was landing on Lake Griffin and planned to terminate the flight on the ramp behind his house. While in the landing flare he encountered glassy water and lost all depth perception. Before he could initiate a go-around the aircraft touched down inadvertently in a flat attitude and the aircraft immediately flipped tail over nose. The aircraft came to rest inverted in the water and remained afloat.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58DG
- Reported as
- Grumman G-44A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1415
- Airframe hours
- 8,801
- Engine
- Lycoming GO-480-B1D, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David S. Garber
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1993 · 20 hours before
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificates
- Military, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 800 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORL, 30 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.