CEN11CA518
2011-07-24 · Oscoda, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport OSC
Current FAA registration · N6425X
- Make / Model
- CESSNA 180D
- Year of manufacture
- 1960 · 51 years old at event
- Engine
- CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 4 seats · 1 engine
- Last airworthiness date
- 19601114
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S A86FC6
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to retract the landing gear before a water landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use a checklist.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was intending to practice water landings in the amphibian float-equipped airplane; however, he neglected to raise the wheels after the initial takeoff from a paved runway. During approach for the first water landing at a large nearby pond, he did not notice that the wheels were still extended. The airplane subsequently nosed over when he attempted the water landing. He was not injured exiting the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings during the accident sequence. He reported no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident. He added that he needs to be more dedicated to checklists in the future. The pilot reported that he landed the float-equipped airplane and it nosed over. He said that he had taken off from a paved runway earlier and forgot to retract the wheels for the water landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane and the accident could have been prevented if he had used the checklist. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.
- C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
- F Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - F
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2011_CEN11CA518.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.
- TallyAero Live Wire Aviation press
- NTSB CAROL Agency ↗
- NTSB Docket Agency ↗
- Aviation Safety Network Aviation press ↗
- Kathryn's Report Aviation press ↗
- Aviation Herald Aviation press ↗
- AVweb Aviation press ↗
- Pilots of America Community ↗
- Reddit /r/flying Community ↗
- FlightAware Aviation press ↗
- AOPA accident database Aviation press ↗
- Google News News ↗
- DuckDuckGo News ↗