Cessna 182 N6506M accident near Beechhurst, New York

Probable cause

The pilot’s selection of a landing area that provided inadequate distance from obstacles and his subsequent decision to abort the landing with inadequate takeoff distance available, which resulted in a high-speed collision with a concrete bulkhead. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind, which degraded the airplane’s performance and handling characteristics.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the amphibious float-equipped airplane was landing on a river near his home. The pilot reported that the airplane bounced after touchdown and he applied full throttle to abort the landing, during which the airplane veered left and impacted a concrete bulkhead. The pilot-rated passenger reported that, during touchdown, the pilot attempted to avoid a boat and the airplane veered left. The floats contacted the wake from the boat, resulting in a bounce, after which the pilot applied power to abort the landing. The pilot and passenger both reported that, had the pilot reduced engine power to idle instead of attempting to take off, the airplane would have collided with the bulkhead at a slower speed.

Surveillance video captured the airplane travelling at high speed, in a nose-high attitude, with both pontoons in the water when it collided with the bulkhead. The pontoons were generating white foam, spray, and a noticeable wake. A witness on a nearby boat reported that the airplane was landing with a 10- to 15-knot tailwind and a weather observation from the nearest airport indicated a 10-knot quartering tailwind for the pilot’s chosen landing direction.

Based on the available information, it is most likely that the pilot selected a landing area where tailwind conditions prevailed and that provided inadequate distance from obstacles (boats and the concrete bulkhead). His subsequent decision to abort the landing with insufficient takeoff distance available resulted in a high-speed collision with the concrete bulkhead. It is likely that the tailwind/quartering tailwind conditions contributed to the accident by increasing the airplane’s touchdown speed, decreasing its directional stability upon touchdown, and increasing the takeoff distance after the pilot chose to abort the landing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA21LA004 for the full record.