What happened
During a spot landing contest, the pilot reported that as the airplane touched down, he felt the front of the float dig in. In response, he applied back pressure on the controls. A witness observed that the airplane landed hard on the water and cartwheeled. According to the FAA, the pilot touched down too fast as he was trying to force the touchdown point to be between the marker pylons.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanics of the landing and the pilot's actions during the contest. The primary finding was related to the pilot's attempt to control the touchdown location relative to the marker pylons, which resulted in excessive speed at impact.
Findings
The cartwheel occurred due to the hard landing on the water surface. The contributing factor was the pilot's decision to touch down too fast while attempting to force the touchdown point to be between the marker pylons. This action caused the front of the float to dig in, leading to loss of control.
Safety message
Pilots participating in spot landing contests should prioritize controlled approach speeds over precise touchdown location markers to avoid hard landings and subsequent loss of control.