History
On March 18, 2010, at approximately 1600 central daylight time, a Maule M-5-235C (registration N56489) nosed over during a water landing on Lake Lewisville near Lewisville, Texas. The pilot, who was also the aircraft's owner, was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed. The aircraft departed Addison Airport (ADS) in Dallas at about 1530 for a local flight.
According to the pilot, the airplane performed normally during the approach for a glassy water landing. The touchdown was smooth with no skips or bounces, but the airplane quickly nosed over and began filling with water. The pilot could not recall the position of the landing gear before the landing, though he later stated that after departure he had placed the landing gear handle in the "UP" position.
Multiple witnesses observed the accident. One eyewitness in a boat saw the airplane nose over and went to assist. He found the pilot unconscious with his head underwater, pulled him into the boat, and performed CPR until his breathing resumed. Two witnesses on a nearby highway reported seeing a small red-and-white airplane flying southbound about 20-30 feet above a bridge with its wheels extended. Another witness observed a pontoon-equipped airplane flying northbound with landing gear extended below the floats. A fifth witness heard a loud noise and saw the airplane flip over; two minutes later, only the wheels and bottom of the aircraft were visible above water.
Personnel
The pilot, age 54, held an airline transport pilot certificate for multiengine land, commercial certificates for single-engine land, single-engine sea, and helicopter, and a flight instructor certificate for single- and multi-engine airplanes. His last FAA second-class medical was issued April 11, 2008, with the limitation "Must Wear Corrective Lenses." He reported 12,000 total flight hours, including 75 hours in the accident make and model. He had logged 30 hours in the previous 90 days and 10 in the previous 30 days. His last flight review was completed June 8, 2008.
Aircraft
The 1983 Maule M-5-235C, serial number 7372C, was a high-wing, tube-and-fabric airplane mounted on Baumann amphibious floats, configured for four occupants. It was powered by a Lycoming O-540-J1A5D engine rated at 235 horsepower, driving a two-bladed Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed in December 2009 at an airframe total time of 806.1 hours; at the accident, the airframe had accumulated 807 hours. The engine had been inspected in December 2009 with a 100-hour inspection; at the accident, the engine had about 1,005 hours since major overhaul and 139.4 hours since propeller overhaul.
Wreckage and Impact
FAA inspectors found the airplane inverted and partially submerged. The landing gear was in the extended position. Substantial damage was noted to the vertical stabilizer, engine firewall, and both wings. Flight control continuity was established for all flight controls and water rudders; the water rudders were retracted. The floats had four visual landing gear position indicators, one per wheel, each showing the wheels extended.
Additional Information
The Baumann amphibious floats checklist included a step before landing on water: "Landing Gear Position – CONFIRM VISUALLY (Red mark in the UP indicator holes on top deck of each float for the main gear. Nose gear UP – tire positioned at nose bumper)." No drugs of abuse were detected in toxicology tests performed on the pilot by the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute.