What happened
During an approach to a private airstrip located on the shore of a reservoir, the aircraft was executing a left turn to final approach. During this maneuver, the left landing gear made contact with the surface of the lake. This contact caused the airplane to settle into the water and become submerged approximately 100 feet short of the intended landing area.
The pilot, who had been utilizing this unimproved private strip since 1965, had performed several passes prior to the accident to inspect the condition of the landing area. The pilot noted that the lake level was higher than normal, which had reduced the available length of the landing surface to approximately 600 feet.
Findings
The investigation determined that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures involving the aircraft. The accident was attributed to the pilot's failure to accurately determine how close the water surface was to the runway area.