Lake LA-4-200 N5023L accident near Orlando, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the amphibious airplane departed the lake with a passenger, landed at a nearby airport where he deplaned the passenger, and was returning to the lake for landing. When the pilot reached the lake, he noted that it was hard to judge the airplane’s distance above the calm, glassy water while landing into the direction of the setting sun. Following the landing flare, the airplane “floated” a considerable distance before bouncing multiple times. The pilot then concluded he could neither complete the landing nor abort the landing before striking structures or other obstacles on the shore and deliberately nosed the airplane into the water to arrest its forward progress. As a result, the airplane’s fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA21LA078 for the full record.