- Date
- August 17, 2003, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Phippsburg, ME
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8550UAerofab Lake 250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030817020449A
- Case key
- 57714
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 airplane's collision with a submerged object during a water landing.
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 overflew the pond prior to landing, and did not observe any boat traffic, or debris on the water. He performed one touch-and-go landing, and returned for a second landing. The touchdown was "normal," and during the landing rollout the airplane started to come off the step and began to turn to the left, "like it had hooked something." The pilot taxied to the shore and docked the airplane, at which time he realized he "must have hit something on the bottom of the pond," since there was mud in the lower nose gear doors.
Factual narrative
On August 17, 2003, at 1200 eastern daylight time, a Lake 250 amphibian airplane, N8550U, was substantially damaged during landing on Center Pond, Phippsburg, Maine. The airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he overflow the pond prior to landing, and did not observe any boat traffic, or debris on the water. He performed one touch-and-go landing, and returned for a second landing. The touchdown was "normal," and during the landing rollout the airplane started to come off the step and began to turn to the left, "like it had hooked something." The pilot taxied to the shore and docked the airplane, at which time he realized he "must have hit something on the bottom of the pond," since there was mud in the lower nose gear doors.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane, the left wing, left wing spar, and left sponson sustained substantial damage. No mechanical deficiencies were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8550U
- Reported as
- Aerofab Lake 250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 122
- Airframe hours
- 675
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Peter Thompson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 4, 2002 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Phippsburg, ME
- Destination
- NONE · Phippsburg, ME
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- August 14, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17,300 total · 300 in this make and model · 10,300 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- NHZ, 6 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.