Cessna A185F N812F

Summary

On 16 April 2013 at about 21:10 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N812F, operated by Lindsay A. Weaver, was involved in an accident near Palatka, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 April 2013 at 21:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Palatka, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.6819, -81.6464

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N812F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Lindsay A. Weaver

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palatka → Beaufort

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA207

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to retract the landing gear after takeoff from a runway, and his subsequent water landing with the wheels extended.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was performing a water touch-and-go landing on a river, about 3 miles from the departure airport. He also reported that he was distracted by potential skydivers, towers in the area, and by his passenger as they discussed the route of flight. He did not retract the landing gear after he took off and he landed the amphibious airplane on the water with the wheels extended. The airplane immediately nosed over and came to rest inverted in the water. The pilot reported that the fuselage and wings sustained structural damage. He did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.