The pilot of the amphibious Grumman G44 departed a hard-surfaced runway and flew to a lake about three nautical miles away.
After takeoff he failed to retract the landing gear and during the touchdown on the lake in Lakeport, California, the airplane nosed over.
The fuselage and vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.
The pilot reported that he did not use a checklist during the flight.
Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to retract the landing gear, which resulted in a gear-down water landing and a nose over.
NTSB Identification: GAA16CA509
This September 2016 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.
I might add to this that the pilot was a high time grumman amphib pilot too. He also had an experienced grumman amphib pilot in the right seat.
Distractions do happen! The after take off check, getting the gear up, is just as important as checking it before landing.