Basic Flight Safety

Floatplane crashes into lake with fatal results. Yet another fatal accident which could have been prevented has occurred. Having been a pilot for more than twenty-five years, to this day I remember what my flight instructors instilled in me...follow the checklist regardless! The investigation in this recent crash will reveil one of two things, mechanical failure or pilot error. Even if the gear extended during the flight, the pilot was at fault for not recognizing the change in the aircrafts handling or checking to see if the gear was down prior to landing on the lakes surface. Landing gear cause drag, this drag causes an aircraft to handle differently from gear in a retracted configuration. Something a pilot should have recognize and sensed. Visual indication that the landing gear was down, whether it be from an indicator on the dash, looking out into the float for a mechanical indicator or an inspection window used to reveal the landing gear position should have been checked as listed on a proper checklist for 'Water Landings'. If the subject aircraft had none of these, which it should, there are other ways to know if the gear are extended. A visual confirmation from a ground based observer could look at the aircraft as it passed and reported to the pilot by radio or other signal it was safe to attempt the water landing. Light and shadows could also be used. Checking the shadow of the aircraft on the ground during a low pass could provide visual indication to the pilot that the wheels were down. It still returns to following a checklist, which helps avoid simple mistakes which can cause fatal results. Situation awareness, avoiding compliancy, and operational proficiency are most critical in the operation of aircraft of any type,size or application. Amphibian pilots, reevaluate yourself, your equipment and most of all your checklists and operational proceedures, the life you save might be your own.

The number of mishaps and accidents involving a student pilot with an instructor alarms me. Have instructors become diluted in basic airmanship. The golden rules my instructors taught me was...don't turn around if your engine fails and always fly the damn plane from take-off to landing. I'm still here because of what they taught me, it applies to more than just flying!