Event GAA16CA509

Factual narrative

The pilot of an amphibious airplane reported that he departed a hard surfaced runway and flew to a lake about 3 nautical miles away. He further reported that after takeoff he failed to retract the landing gear and during the touchdown on the lake, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that he did not use a checklist during the flight. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of an amphibious airplane reported that he departed a hard surfaced runway and flew to a lake about 3 nautical miles away. He further reported that after takeoff he failed to retract the landing gear and during the touchdown on the lake, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that he did not use a checklist during the flight. The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.  The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Not used/operated - C
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot