History of Flight
On August 1, 2010, at approximately 1115 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A185F, registration N369E, equipped with amphibious floats, nosed over during landing on Moosehead Lake near Rockwood, Maine. The flight had originated from Steven A. Bean Municipal Airport (8B0) in Rangeley, Maine. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.
According to the passenger's statement, just before the airplane contacted the water, the pilot made a verbal expression. Immediately after contacting the water, the airplane turned left and nosed over. The passenger reported that the pilot had not been feeling well that morning but felt fine after breakfast and considered himself fit to fly. The passenger described the flight as normal and noted that the landing area was the same location where the pilot always landed.
Pilot Information
The 64-year-old pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multiengine land and type ratings for several aircraft, including the Douglas DC-3, Grumman 1159, HS-125, and N-265. He also held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, multiengine sea, and rotorcraft-helicopter. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on May 13, 2010, at which time he reported 23,390 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1980 and received its FAA airworthiness certificate on February 6, 1980. The most recent annual/100-hour inspection was completed on January 14, 2010, when the airplane had 5,610.1 total hours and a tachometer time of 685.3 hours. The aircraft was an all-metal, high-wing design equipped with a Whipaire amphibious landing gear system, installed on May 23, 2000. The amphibious floats were re-installed on June 23, 2010. The landing gear system was hydraulically actuated by two electric hydraulic pumps, with a cockpit selector handle and indicator lights: four blue lights for gear retracted (water landing) and four green lights for gear extended (runway landing). Additionally, the aircraft was equipped with a Lake and Air Amphibian Landing Gear Position Advisory System, which provided visual and aural advisories based on landing gear position and airspeed.
Meteorological Conditions
The recorded weather observation at Greenville Municipal Airport (3B1), approximately 15 miles southeast of the accident site, at 1056 included calm wind, temperature 20°C, dew point 11°C, and altimeter setting 30.09 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Examination
An FAA inspector examined the accident airplane at the site. The outboard section of the left wing was bent upward approximately 15 degrees from mid-span. The floats remained attached with no punctures or damage, but the left float was buckled. All four landing gear wheels were in the down (extended) position.
Further examination revealed that the engine and cylinders were drained, and the magnetos were removed and reinstalled. The damaged left wing was removed. A local mechanic ran the engine using the right fuel tank, and it operated well up to full power. The electric landing gear motor was not functional; however, the gear could be raised and lowered using the hydraulic hand pump. When power was reapplied after disabling non-gear warning system circuit breakers, four green lights indicated gear down and locked. The "Gear Advisory" warning annunciator was tested but only static was heard, and the audio panel circuit breaker tripped.
The gear advisory warning box was removed. The potentiometer controlling the airspeed threshold was set to position 8, corresponding to 78 knots indicated airspeed. Corrosion was noted on two power transistors and a diode on the circuit board. The advisory system was designed to automatically arm during takeoff and climb and to provide audible messages (e.g., "GEAR IS UP FOR WATER LANDING") when slowing for landing.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
A postmortem examination determined the cause of death as drowning. Toxicological testing detected acetaminophen, dihydrocodeine, diphenhydramine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, losartan, norpropoxyphene, and quinine in various specimens. No carbon monoxide, cyanide, or ethanol were found. Medical records indicated the pilot had been diagnosed with stomach cancer on July 19, 2010, and had a scan on July 30 showing no metastatic disease, with surgery planned. He had also been hospitalized for pancreatitis earlier in the month and had back pain.
Survival Aspects
Seat belts were examined. The passenger's seat belt showed crease marks at the buckle; the pilot's belt had similar creases plus lengthwise creasing of the shoulder harness and stretching near an abrasion. Both seats remained attached and could move freely along the rails. The pilot's seat had an auto-tensioning belt style secondary seat stop that functioned normally. Both doors operated normally. The glareshield and instrument panel had no impact damage except to the landing gear switch. The tubular steel cross braces across the windshield were intact, but the pilot's side cross brace was bent aft approximately midway, consistent with a hand pulling the seat or body forward.
Additional Information
The FAA Seaplane, Skiplane, and Float/Ski Equipped Helicopter Operations Handbook notes that for amphibians, it is extremely important to ensure the wheels are retracted for water landings, as a wheels-down landing on water is almost certain to capsize the seaplane.