Accident Overview
On May 21, 2019, about 1300 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna A185F equipped with amphibious floats, registration N5457X, was substantially damaged during a landing on water near Whittier, Alaska. The pilot reported minor injuries, one passenger sustained serious injuries, and another passenger was fatally injured. The flight was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Pilot and Flight Details
The pilot planned to take two passengers on a sightseeing trip in the Prince William Sound area, with a planned water landing in Cascade Bay to view a waterfall. He had known both passengers and had flown them in the same airplane a few years earlier. The preflight inspection and takeoff were uneventful. During the descent, the pilot performed before-landing checks, including a landing gear position check, but later stated that the two passengers were talking throughout the flight and that he was likely distracted by their conversation. He intended to land slightly faster than normal due to rough water. Upon touchdown, the airplane nosed over violently, and the cabin filled with water. The pilot egressed through a door window, then swam back into the submerged airplane to free the rear-seat passenger. He attempted to free the front right-seat passenger, who appeared unconscious.
Aircraft Information
The pilot purchased the airplane in April 2012. The most recent annual inspection was completed the day before the accident. The airplane was equipped with Aerocet 3400 series amphibious floats, installed in 2004. These floats have retractable wheels (two nose wheels and two main wheels) controlled by a landing gear switch on a K-65 landing gear advisory unit. The unit includes indicator lights (blue for gear-up water landing, amber for gear-down runway landing) and an audio advisory system that announces gear position when the airplane slows to about 90 knots. The FAA-approved supplemental flight manual notes that the audio system does not relieve the pilot of the responsibility to visually check gear position before landing. The manual warns against landing in water with the gear extended due to risk of flipping and serious injury. The before-landing-on-water checklist includes: landing gear UP, blue indicator lights illuminated, visual check that nose gear is UP, water rudders UP, flaps 40°. The pilot reported that in his airplane, the audio advisory system activated at about 50 knots, not 90 knots, and he had been told by a mechanic that the trigger speed was not adjustable. However, the Aerocet manual states that the trigger speed can be adjusted via a potentiometer, but adjustment requires a flight test and is not advised for field maintenance. The K-65 unit was damaged by saltwater immersion post-accident, so its pre-accident condition could not be determined.
Survival Aspects
The airplane was equipped with four-point harnesses for the front seats and lap belts for the rear seats. The pilot stated that the fatally injured front-seat passenger was wearing a four-point harness. According to the autopsy from the State of Alaska Medical Examiner's Office, the cause of death for that passenger was drowning. The medical examiner noted that the passenger sustained blunt force head injuries during the accident, likely causing loss of consciousness before submersion.
Accident Site Evidence
Photographs taken a few hours after the accident showed the airplane inverted with the entire fuselage submerged; only the floats remained above water. The landing gear was in the extended (runway landing) position. Examination of the cockpit revealed the gear control lever was in the "DOWN" position.