What happened
The private pilot reported that he flared too high while landing his wheel-ski equipped airplane on a remote, frozen river. The airplane subsequently landed hard, and collapsed the left main landing gear, resulting in structural damage to the airplane fuselage and the main landing gear's left gear box. He noted that part of his cargo was a gasoline-powered ice auger, and it was leaking fuel. He said he rushed his landing approach to get the airplane on the ground and remove the auger.
The investigation
The pilot reported that he flared too high while landing his wheel-ski equipped airplane on a remote, frozen river. The airplane subsequently landed hard, and collapsed the left main landing gear, resulting in structural damage to the airplane fuselage and the main landing gear's left gear box. He noted that part of his cargo was a gasoline-powered ice auger, and it was leaking fuel. He said he rushed his landing approach to get the airplane on the ground and remove the auger.
Findings
- The pilot flared too high during the landing attempt.
- The airplane landed hard on the frozen river surface.
- The left main landing gear collapsed upon impact.
- Structural damage occurred to the fuselage and the left gear box.
- A gasoline-powered ice auger in the cargo was leaking fuel.
- The pilot rushed the landing approach to remove the leaking auger.