Occurrence
On 4 August 2019, a privately registered Cessna 185 E aircraft equipped with amphibious floats departed from Orillia Ramara Regional Airport, Ontario. The flight was destined for Upper Raft Lake, located approximately 48 nautical miles north of the Orillia/Lake St. John Water Aerodrome, with 7 people on board.
During the landing on the surface of the water, the aircraft flipped over and came to rest in an inverted position. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and was submerged in the water but remained afloat due to the floats. The landing gear, which is normally retracted for a water landing, was observed to be in the down position.
Passengers and Pilot
The 6 passengers egressed the aircraft and sustained minor injuries. The pilot was fatally injured. The aircraft was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter (ELT); however, no signal was received by alerting services at the time of the occurrence.