Cessna A185F N369E

Summary

On 1 August 2010 at about 15:15 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N369E was involved in an accident near Rockwood, Maine, United States. 2 people were on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 August 2010 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Rockwood, Maine, United States

Coordinates

45.6928, -69.7714

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N369E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rangeley → Rockwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA390

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to retract the landing gear prior to a water landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment due to medication.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The amphibious float-equipped airplane departed from a paved runway for the flight, where a water landing on a lake was to be made. The pilot did not raise the landing gear after takeoff. Upon reaching the destination, the landing gear contacted the water during landing and the airplane abruptly nosed over. The airplane came to rest floating inverted, suspended by the floats. The month preceding the accident the pilot had several medical tests performed and was anticipating surgery for the removal of stomach cancer. While the pilot may have been having difficulty sleeping due to back pain or his impending surgery or possible chemotherapy, the investigation was unable to determine that fatigue was a factor in the accident. His toxicology results indicated recent use of diphenhydramine (an over-the-counter antihistamine) at levels that would have likely been impairing at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.