The pilot reported that following an uneventful takeoff in the amphibious float equipped Maule M7-235, he intended on performing a water landing at a nearby lake as part of his checkride.
During the water landing near Lake Havasu, Arizona, the airplane immediately nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings, as well as two minor injuries.
The pilot stated he had become distracted after takeoff and did not retract the landing gear for the water landing.
The designated pilot examiner onboard the airplane reported that he did not confirm the position of the landing gear prior to the water landing.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilots’ failure to verify the landing gear position prior to the water landing and the pilot/examiner’s failure to adequately monitor the pilot.
NTSB Identification: WPR14CA093
This January 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Many thanks for the guys asking all you ‘newbies’ with all your acronyms to be a little more clear. Us ‘old Rusty Pilots’ are having enough trouble with all the regulations put in place (most are really necessary), much less trying to decipher the thousands of acronyms.
BJS needs a tab bit or work on his English or lack thereof.
Can’t recognize a joke, huh?
A tab?
I have seen the results of Cessna’s and SeaBee’s doing the same thing. It gets really expensive, too.
You have to wonder what the Pilot Examiner was “examining” during this check ride if he never noticed the pilot didn’t retract the wheels after take off.
I was thinking the same thing.
It appears the pilot examiner AND the candidate both failed to follow checklists. It happens.
A few years ago an acquaintance was taking a ME checkride in a company Seneca. During the check ride the examiner quietly pulled a gear CB then got a conversation going with the candidate. It was night, so maybe that was a little bit of a factor, maybe both were fatigued after a full day of work and etc… Anyhow, the candidate succumbed to distraction, and the examiner forgot the pulled CB (that is, until he heard ‘ching ching’ from both sides of the aircraft as the aircraft settled onto its belly…).
The ME candidate didn’t get his endorsement, and I expect (but don’t know) the DE got another checkride of his own. Other than that, two engine tear downs, two new props, and some new belly skin there were no injuries to other than pride, credentials, and insurance premiums.
WAT the H is a ME, CB and DE. SPK in plain ENG for THOS of us IGNORS who aren’t as BRT as J.
ME= Multi Engine
CB= Circuit Breaker
DE= Designated Examiner
TNK U
Maybe they were examining the bikini babes on the boats on Lake Havasu?