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ANC14CA032

2014-05-31 · Willow, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 2X2

Current FAA registration · N602BC

Make / Model
FOUND ACFT CANADA INC FBA-2C2
Year of manufacture
2007 · 7 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-540-L1C5 (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20090814
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7CEC9

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of control of the airplane during landing on water due to an encounter with wind shear, which resulted in the airplane's abnormal contact with the surface.

Factual narrative

The pilot was conducting an approach to land on water in a float-equipped airplane. He said that, because of the high winds, he conducted the approach at a high airspeed. He stated that, when the airplane was about 50 feet above the surface, it encountered a strong wind shear, and the left wing dropped. The pilot noted that he had never before encountered such a violent wind shear during landing. The pilot applied full power and full aileron but the airplane struck the water with its left float and left side of the tail before he could get it completely level. The airplane bounced, and the pilot then landed without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the left elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was conducting an approach to land on water in a float-equipped airplane. He said that, because of the high winds, he conducted the approach at a high airspeed. He stated that, when the airplane was about 50 feet above the surface, it encountered a strong wind shear, and the left wing dropped. The pilot noted that he had never before encountered such a violent wind shear during landing. The pilot applied full power and full aileron but the airplane struck the water with its left float and left side of the tail before he could get it completely level. The airplane bounced, and the pilot then landed without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the left elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Windshear-Effect on operation
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ANC14CA032.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (wind shear, loss of control). All research papers