Event GAA18CA388

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he inadvertently did not retract the wheels of the amphibious airplane after takeoff from a hard surface runway. Upon arrival at his destination, he did not use the before landing checklist and when the airplane touched down on the water with the wheels extended, it nosed over. The amphibious airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut, the empennage, the right wing aileron, the rudder, and the elevator. The pilot asserted that the accident was pilot error and that the accident could have been prevented had he used the checklist. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the amphibian airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, he inadvertently failed to retract the wheels of the amphibious airplane after takeoff from a hard surface runway. Upon arrival at his destination, he did not use the Before Landing checklist, and when the airplane touched down on the water with the wheels extended, it nosed over. The amphibious airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut, the empennage, the right wing aileron, the rudder, and the elevator. The pilot asserted that the accident was pilot error and that the accident could have been prevented if he had he used the checklist. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the amphibious 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Configuration-Incorrect use/operation - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - F