Probable cause
The pilot did not use the departure checklist, resulting in an inadvertent landing with the pontoon wheels extended.
NTSB analysis
The pilot departed a land-based airport and flew to a nearby lake. Being a short and direct flight, the pilot said he did not use the departure checklist and forgot to retract the wheels on the pontoons. Immediately upon touching down in the water, the airplane nosed over. Post-accident examination revealed the firewall had been buckled by impact. There were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane or its systems that would have precluded normal operations.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN15CA016 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Oct 11, 2014
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Coloma, Michigan
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 180B
- N-number
- N180CT
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1959
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.