Cessna A185F N61919 accident near Barataria, Louisiana

Probable cause

A recreational boat crossed in front of the airplane’s path during landing on the water which resulted in the airplane colliding with the boat.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that she had setup for landing on an intracoastal waterway and picked a landing area based on the locations of three nearby boats. During final approach, she had the three boats in sight, one of which was on the far right side of waterway and traveling in the same direction. She determined that the boats would not be a factor and continued to land. The airplane touched down on the choppy water and she added power to keep the airplane on the step. Immediately after touchdown the airplane veered left, then nosed over and sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot egressed the airplane without further incident. She noticed that the recreational boat that was originally on the right side of the waterway was now on the left side and the boat driver stated that the airplane hit the boat. Since the pilot was seated in the left seat, her view to the lower right area of the airplane would have been restricted by the airframe. The pilot added that three other airplanes had just landed on the waterway and there was one more in position to land behind her.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24LA047 for the full record.