Event CHI02LA235

Factual narrative

On August 4, 2002, at 1400 central daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 185B, N11LP, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the water and nosed over during takeoff from Gull Lake, near Brainerd, Minnesota. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot received minor injuries and the two passengers were not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident with Minong, Wisconsin, as the intended destination. The pilot furnished no narrative description of the accident in the report submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board. The section of the report for describing mechanical malfunctions was checked "No." The initial reports indicated that the airplane engine lost power during takeoff from the lake and the pilot attempted to land back on the lake. During the attempted landing the left wingtip struck the water first. The airplane subsequently flipped over coming to rest upside down. A witness to the accident reported seeing and hearing the airplane during the accident sequence. The witness reported being in a boat that was pulling a water skier at the time of the accident. She said that the airplane lifted off of the water when it was about 30 feet behind the skier, climbed to 30 feet above the boat, turned sharply to the left and fell into the water. The witness stated that the airplane engine was running and was "really loud." She said that she saw no smoke or fire coming from the airplane prior to impact. A second witness who was also in the boat said the airplane came over the boat and then "it just came down." She said that she heard engine noises from the airplane until it hit the water. She said that there was no smoke coming from the airplane prior to impact. A postaccident examination of the airplane by Federal Aviation Administration officials revealled no pre-impact mechanical defects with respect to the airframe. The airplane's engine was retained and examined at the manufacturer's facility in Mobile, Alabama. The examination of the engine was performed under the direct supervision of a National Transportation Safety Board Investigator. No pre-impact defects that would have precluded engine operation were found during the examination of the engine. The float equipped airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted the water just after liftoff from a lake. Witnesses in a boat reported that the airplane lifted off 30 feet behind a skier that was being pulled behind the boat. They reported that the airplane then climbed to 30 feet above the boat, banked sharply to the left, and crashed into the lake. Postaccident examinations of the airframe and engine revealed no preexisting defects. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions in his report of the accident. The pilot did not submit a narrative description of the accident events. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12