- Location: Kent, Washington
- Accident Number: WPR24FA285
- Date & Time: August 24, 2024, 10:10 Local
- Registration: N61323
- Aircraft: Cessna A185F
- Aircraft Damage: Substantial
- Defining Event: Nose over/nose down
- Injuries: 1 Fatal
- Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194996/pdf
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194996
On August 24, 2024, about 1010 Pacific daylight time, an amphibious float-equipped Cessna A185F airplane, N61323, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kent, Washington. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had been storing his amphibious float-equipped airplane at a nearby airport for about 7 weeks and was returning the airplane to his lakefront home less than 3 nautical miles (nm) away, intending to moor the airplane to serve as a photo backdrop for a private event the same day. Area weather at the time of the accident included light rain but met visual flight rules (VFR) criteria. On the morning of the accident, a pilot (and guest of honor of the event) told the accident pilot not to worry about flying the airplane over, given the rainy weather, but the accident pilot expressed no concern. Witnesses who watched the airplane depart reported that its landing gear was not retracted before they lost sight of it.
As the airplane made its landing approach to the lake, witnesses observed that the landing gear was in the extended position and reported that the airplane “flipped” as soon as the floats began to contact the water. They reported that the airplane’s approach otherwise appeared normal.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear was extended at the time of touchdown and that the landing gear selector handle was in the “down” position. Although foreign objects (loose tools) were found in the engine cowling and left nosewheel gear well, their locations before the accident sequence are not known, and there was no evidence of any preimpact interference with the engine operation or landing gear mechanism. (An open bin of tools was found in the cabin.) Examination of the airplane and testing of the airplane’s landing gear position advisory unit revealed no mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.
Based on the evidence, the pilot left the landing gear in the extended position before the water landing.
- Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to properly configure the amphibious landing gear for a water landing, which resulted in a touchdown on the water with the wheels extended, noseover, and airplane submersion.
The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with multi-engine land and sea ratings. He held commercial pilot privileges for airplane single-engine land and sea, and private pilot privileges for rotorcraft. His pilot logbooks were not available for examination.
The pilot-certificated witness (and event guest of honor) said that he had recently flown as a passenger with the accident pilot in the accident airplane and was impressed with the accident pilot’s professionalism and discipline. During that flight, he observed the accident pilot extend the airplane’s landing gear for a runway landing, and he heard a loud, clear, audio voice announcement through the headset indicating that the gear was down. He observed also that the accident pilot looked at a wing-mounted mirror to verify the landing gear position and asked the witness to use the mirror on his side to do the same.
Another witness, who lived on the lake, stated that he often observed the airplane coming or going from the lake. He said that he believed the last time he had seen the airplane landing on the lake was in July 2024.
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