On July 25, 1997, a Cessna 185 (registration N8717Z) was involved in an aviation accident near Norway, ME. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering to avoid an obstacle. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A floatplane nosed over and came to rest inverted after a hard touchdown on a lake, when the pilot's avoidance maneuver caused a float to submerge and a wing to impact the water.
Accident Details
A floatplane was conducting operations on a lake when the pilot found himself fast and high on approach to a small area on the lake. He configured the airplane with 40 degrees of flaps. The airplane touched down flat and hard and was headed toward an obstruction in the water.
Sequence of Events
The pilot's focus was on the obstruction, and he did not apply enough back pressure to the yoke. When he added right rudder to avoid the obstruction, the airplane's left float submerged and the left wing impacted the water. The airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted.
Investigation
The investigation determined the sequence of events as described. No further details are available from the source.