- Date
- February 9, 2011, 12:55 local (20:55 UTC)
- Place
- Wilsonville, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N238MAAllardyce Michael Glastar
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 13, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110209001499A
- Case key
- 78316
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's failure to raise the landing gear wheels prior to landing in water, resulting in a nose over.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he took off from the airport in his amphibious experimental airplane with the intention of flying a closed traffic pattern. Because he planned to land back on the runway, he left the landing gear in the extended position. During departure, he overflew a river, located about 3 miles north of the airport, and observed that the water was calm. The pilot stated that he made a spur of the moment decision to land in the river, and he forgot that the wheels were extended. The airplane was not equipped with an aural gear warning horn or gear position lights; however, it was equipped with mirrors on each wing in which he could have visually determined the position of the gear. The pilot stated that he did not check the position of the gear with the mirrors. He indicated that he forgot to raise the gear prior to landing in the water. Consequently, the airplane nosed over as it decelerated. During this event, a portion of the lower engine cowl broke, and most of the front windscreen separated from the cockpit. The pilot reported that he did not experience any malfunction with the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he took off from the airport in his amphibious experimental airplane with the intention of flying a closed traffic pattern. Because he planned to land back on the runway, he left the wheels in the down position. During departure, he overflew the Willamette River, located about 3 miles north of the airport, and he observed that the water was calm. The pilot stated that he made a spur of the moment decision to land in the river, and he forgot that the wheels were extended. The airplane is not equipped with an aural gear warning horn or gear position lights; however, it is equipped with mirrors on each wing in which he could have visually determined the position of the gear. The pilot stated that he did not check the position of the gear with the mirrors. He indicated that he had forgotten to raise the gear prior to landing in the water. Consequently, the airplane nosed over as it decelerated. During this event, a portion of the lower engine cowl broke, and most of the front windscreen separated from the cockpit. The pilot did not report having experienced any malfunction with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N238MA
- Reported as
- Allardyce Michael Glastar
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 5238
- Airframe hours
- 795
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 E2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 5, 2011 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- UAO · Aurora, OR
- Destination
- UAO · Aurora, OR
- Airport
- NONE · Willamette River
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
- 66
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 13, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,300 total · 8 in this make and model · 12,175 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.52 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX, 20 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 14, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.