CircumFlightN796SR Progressive Aerodyne Inc SEAREY LSA accident
NTSB ERA17CA236 · 2017-07-08 · Lake Ashby, FL
Docket — crew, injuries and powerplant
Summary
The pilot of the special light sport, amphibious airplane stated that he had planned a local personal sightseeing flight, which included departing from an airport, landing on a lake about 20 miles away, then returning to the departure airport. During the approach to landing on the lake, the pilot left the landing gear in the extended position, which was the wrong position for a water landing. Once the airplane touched down on water, it decelerated quickly, nosed over, and then came to rest inverted. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. When the airplane was recovered from the lake, damage was observed on both wings and the fuselage. The landing gear were observed in the extended position, and the landing gear selector was also in the landing gear extended position.
Full narrative
The pilot of the special light sport amphibian airplane stated that he had planned a local personal sightseeing flight, which included departing from an airport, landing on a lake about 20 miles away, then returning to the departure airport. During the approach to landing on the lake, the pilot left the landing gear in the extended position, which was the wrong position for a water landing. Once the airplane touched down on water, it decelerated quickly, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. When the airplane was recovered from the lake, substantial damage was observed on both wings and the fuselage. The landing gear was observed in the extended position and the landing gear selector was also in the landing gear extended position.
Probable cause
The pilot's incorrect configuration of the landing gear for a water landing in an amphibious airplane, which resulted in a nose-over. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident.
Circumstances
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Weather conditions
- Visual Meteorological Cond
- Light condition
- Day
- Sky condition
- NONE
- Ceiling (ft)
- 0
- Visibility (sm)
- 10
- Wind direction
- 0
- Wind speed (kt)
- 3
- Temperature (F)
- 90
- Distance from field
- 0.0
Aircraft
| Registration | Make | Model | Damage | FAR part |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N796SR | PROGRESSIVE AERODYNE INC | SEAREY LSA | SUBS | 091 |
Sequence of events
| # | Occurrence | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landing Landing gear not configured defining | Cruise |
| 2 | Landing Nose over/nose down | Cruise |
| 3 | Landing Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) | Cruise |
Findings
| Finding | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Incorrect use/operation | cause |
| Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Pilot | cause |