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ERA25LA135

2025-02-25 · Smithville, Tennessee, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 0A3

Current FAA registration · N459BA

Make / Model
ICON AIRCRAFT INC A5
Year of manufacture
2018 · 7 years old at event
Engine
ROTAX 912 IS (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20181210
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A593A5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to retract the landing gear prior to landing in water. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to use the manufacturer’s provided checklist.

Factual narrative

After fueling the airplane at a nearby airport, the pilot was returning to his home lake to perform a water landing. During the landing, the landing gear were still configured in the extended position. The landing gear contacted the water and the airplane nosed down into the water. The airplane subsequently submerged in the water and sank. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported there were no mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear had no abnormalities that prevented normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Incorrect use/operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA135.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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