Cessna A185 N1920Q accident near Rangeley Lake, Maine

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the floats, which led to his subsequent attempt to depart from a lake with damaged floats and led to a loss of roll control and the right wing impacting the water.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, while departing from a lake, the float-equipped airplane was not "gaining airspeed as usual" and that the takeoff run was taking "longer." Before attempting to abort the takeoff, the left float lifted off the water, followed by the right float. While in ground effect, the floatplane started to roll right. The pilot corrected with full left aileron, but the floatplane continued to roll right. He then reduced power and applied 40º of flaps, but the floatplane continued to roll right, so he increased the throttle to full, and the right wing impacted the water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that the floatplane impacted rocks while he was back taxiing to the dock after a previous flight but that he did not realize the floats had been damaged. Before the accident flight, he conducted a preflight inspection and did not find any residual water in the floats, but he did not examine the bottom of the floats because they were submerged in water. Photographs showed that the right float's keel was damaged.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA19CA513 for the full record.