The pilot was performing a repositioning flight following the completion of an annual inspection.
After departing from a runway in his amphibious Aviat A-1, he observed a large, open area on a lake near Terrell, North Carolina, and decided to perform a touch-and-go landing.
Upon touchdown, the airplane flipped over and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Due to his injuries, the pilot had no recollection of the accident.
An FAA inspector reported that, during wreckage recovery from the lake, all four landing gear wheels were in the extended positions, and the landing gear handle was in the “Down Land” position.
He also noted that the pitot tube was covered in black electrical tape, blocking airflow through the tube.
A pitot/static discrepancy was found during the annual inspection and the repair was deferred.
The airplane was equipped with a backup landing gear position advisory system that would provide an audible message confirming the position of the gear prior to landing. However, the audible component would not work properly if the pitot tube was obstructed.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to retract the landing gear on the amphibious airplane prior to a water landing, resulting in a nose over and structural damage to the airframe. The mechanic’s failure to remove electrical tape from the pitot tube, the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, and the pilot’s failure to visually confirm the landing gear position prior to touchdown were all factors in the accident.
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This January 2021 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.
How sad. This accident was totally avoidable. Glad to hear the pilot was not seriously injured. I own an amphibious Piper Super Cruiser. I have lots of retract time. So, taking off on hard surface is no different than taking off in any retractable aircraft. It’s positive rate, runway remaining, and gear up. When landing on water the checklist calls for confirming gear are up for water landing. First look at the gear up lights, then confirm by looking at the position of the gear via the tab on top of the floats for the main gear and checking to see the tow bar attach points are visible when the bow gear are in the up position. it’s that simple. One can make flying as safe as they want to make it.
Electrical tape on the pitot tube? Not a flagged cover????
Sloppy
Probably was testing for vacuum leaks. Pilot should have noticed no airspeed indication and had heightened awareness.
Visual inspection 101!! Tape on the pitot tube… airspeed anyone?