Cessna R172 N736NK

Summary

On 16 July 2017 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna R172 registered N736NK was involved in an accident near Naples, Maine, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 July 2017 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Naples, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Brandy Pond (5ME)

Coordinates

43.9539, -70.5875

Aircraft

Cessna R172

Registration

N736NK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Biddeford → Naples

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA252

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal, cross-country flight and was attempting to land on a choppy lake with heavy boat traffic. A witness stated that the airplane looked high and fast during its descent before touching down, and a review of a video of the accident sequence revealed rapid, abrupt rolling of the wings just before water contact. At touchdown, the airplane bounced and then rotated back and forth about the roll axis, alternately contacting the water with the left and right pontoons. The roll oscillations increased in magnitude until the right pontoon and right wingtip dragged the water, which brought the airplane to an abrupt stop with the right wingtip submerged. The right wing and horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.