Accident Description
A floatplane on a landing approach sustained substantial damage when it struck the water and a dock. The pilot and all six passengers were uninjured.
Pilot Statement
The pilot reported that after clearing obstacles, they set ignition on, propeller full, fuel on both, flaps 20 degrees, and gear up. They then powered back to achieve a good rate of descent over obstacles. During the roundout, the pilot felt an unusually high descent rate and noticed something was wrong when needing more bank angle to increase turn rate. As the flare began, the aircraft continued descending. The left float struck the water before ready, causing the airplane to yaw left about 45 degrees. The right float then caught, and the plane slid sideways until coming to rest with the tail up on shore, 90 degrees to the lake. Afterward, the pilot realized the flaps never deployed when the handle was moved. The circuit breaker was found popped out.
Witness Statement
A witness observed the aircraft clear the shoreline, then start to drop and bank hard left. The plane briefly disappeared behind trees on the west bank. When it reappeared, it was heading south and nearly on the water. The plane seemed to come up short on a turn, causing a float to bounce off the water or a dock, making the aircraft rock. As it rocked back left, the wing appeared to hook or dip into the water or a rock point, spinning the plane left and sideways. The aircraft struck a middle dock, which likely slowed it, and came to rest facing east in shallow water, leaning right, supported by the right wing.
Aircraft Manual Information
The airplane manual states that a standby system can be used to operate the flaps in the event the primary system should malfunction.