Accident Details
On April 24, 2016, at approximately 1500 eastern daylight time, a Maule M7 235-B amphibious airplane, registration N367FS, sustained substantial damage during a landing attempt on a lake near Littleton, North Carolina. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which had departed the same lake about 1445.
According to the pilot, he had owned the airplane for three weeks and had performed about 30 water landings. During the preflight inspection, he noted the tiedown ropes were tight but found no other anomalies. During takeoff, the pilot observed that the airplane was veering "severely" to the left, but he continued the takeoff. The flight was unremarkable until the return to the lake for landing. The pilot described a "normal" landing, but upon touchdown, the airplane veered left, nosed over, and came to rest in the water. The occupants egressed without incident.
A passenger reported that the flight was smooth, but during landing, the "rear of the floats touched [the water] followed by a small hop." A witness on the lake stated that the airplane approached "hot" and "hit the water hard," bounced about 10 feet into the air, impacted the water again, then the wing tip struck the water and the airplane nosed over.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the airplane was manufactured in 2005 and registered to the pilot in April 2016. It was equipped with a Lycoming O-540 series engine. The most recent annual inspection was completed on March 2, 2016, at which time the airplane had accumulated 1,090.8 total flight hours.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land and single-engine sea. His most recent third-class medical certificate was issued on April 20, 2016. He reported 1,900 total hours of flight experience, with 25 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Examination Findings
A postaccident examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the bottom of the left float skin was partially separated along a rivet line, and the left float was bent about 20 degrees in a positive direction. The wings, rudder, and fuselage were substantially damaged. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to all control surfaces, and the four landing gear tires were in the retracted position.
Sections of the left float skin were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for further examination. The fracture surfaces exhibited a rough texture with a dull luster, and no corrosion was noted. The fractures were consistent with overstress failure on a thin-walled structure.