Incident Overview
An airline transport certificated pilot was conducting a short flight from a paved runway to a remote lake in an amphibious float-equipped airplane to deliver supplies to a client. According to the pilot, he was transporting several loads of equipment to the lake and failed to visually check the landing gear position while looking for a new unloading area. He also reported being distracted by the need to reset the flaps and a minor malfunction with the airplane's GPS receiver. As a result, he forgot to raise the landing gear wheels and landed on the lake with the wheels extended.
Damage and Equipment
During the landing touchdown on the lake, the airplane nosed over and sustained damage to the left wing and fuselage. The airplane is equipped with floats that have landing gear position lights installed on the instrument panel. Additionally, the airplane has a mirror enabling the pilot to visually observe the landing gear position.
Findings
The official investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's failure to retract the landing gear wheels of the amphibious float-equipped airplane after departure from a paved runway, which resulted in a nose-over when the airplane was landed on a nearby lake with the wheels extended. A contributing factor was the pilot's diverted attention during the short flight from the airport to the lake.