What happened
On April 24, 2014, a private Cessna H 206 equipped with amphibious floats was conducting a pleasure flight in the Stockholm archipelago. After departing from Stockholm/Bromma airport, the pilot failed to retract the landing gear, despite a routine of doing so at 300 feet.
While approaching a water landing area near Rödlöga, the pilot performed several reconnaissance passes. During the final approach, the aircraft's automated system issued a voice warning in English, alerting the pilot that the gear was down for a land-based landing configuration. The pilot acknowledged the alert but took no corrective action. Upon touchdown on the water, the extended wheels created significant drag, causing the aircraft to immediately pitch forward and capsize into an inverted position. The cabin quickly flooded, forcing the pilot to exit the aircraft and wait on the floats for rescue.
The investigation
The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK) examined the aircraft's configuration and the pilot's actions. The investigation confirmed that the landing gear remained in the extended position throughout the flight following takeoff. The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's warning systems, which include both visual indicators (blue lights for retracted gear and green lights for extended gear) and automated voice messages regarding the aircraft's configuration during landing.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure to retract the landing gear after takeoff.
- The pilot's routine procedure for gear retraction was not followed, which the pilot attributed to oversight.
- The aircraft's automated voice warning, which explicitly stated "landing on land – gear down," was acknowledged by the pilot but did not prompt the necessary reconfiguration of the gear.
- The extended wheels created immense hydrodynamic resistance upon water contact, making the nose-over inversion inevitable.