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ERA25LA347

2025-09-01 · Eustis, Maine, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N3576D

Make / Model
CESSNA 170B
Year of manufacture
1956 · 69 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-300 SER (145 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560716
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A401FC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent descent, contact with the water, and a subsequent nose over.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the seaplane was departing from calm, glassy lake. During the takeoff, he leveled the airplane about 15 ft above the water in order to gain airspeed. The pilot then reached down to retract the airplane’s flaps and likely inadvertently applied forward pressure on the elevator control. The airplane then contacted the water and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of 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.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA347.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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