The pilot departed from a paved runway in his amphibious Volmer VJ22.
After takeoff, he was momentarily distracted by communications with air traffic control and did not ensure the landing gear was retracted.
After a short local flight, he prepared to make a water landing on a lake near Erie, Michigan. However, he was unable to locate the water landing checklist in the airplane, so he completed the checklist from memory.
During the process, he inadvertently “skipped over” verifying the landing gear was retracted.
When the airplane touched down on the water, he was unable to prevent it from nosing over.
Photographs of the airplane taken during recovery from the lake showed substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The pilot sustained minor injuries in the crash.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to ensure that the amphibious airplane’s wheels were retracted before attempting a water landing, resulting in a nose over during touch down. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a checklist available to the pilot.
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This June 2020 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 seriously doubt that Volmer Jensen ever developed a checklist for his Experimental craft. I never rushed through a prelanding check. However, I did once fail to retract the water rudders on TO and nearly broke my ankle when the craft hit a submerged object on the take off run.
Here is where the Aviate, Navigate, Communicate rule was broken:
“While executing the procedure to lock the gear, communication commenced with ATC. Upon finishing communications with the ATC I failed to follow through ensuring the
gear was locked in the up position.”
The distraction of ATC’s call is what was allowed to start the chain of events.
“I set up for my approach and reached for my Water Landing Check List, to find it was not where I normally keep it.”
Second item in the chain which was what “finished” the deal. Had the pilot found that checklist, we probably would not have this NTSB report because the pilot would not have needed to file one.
How many of us have felt we needed to answer ATC before we finished a tank switch procedure, or some such?
For both ldg & pre-tkf: PUMMFFR
PITCH FINE – UNDERCARIAGE – MIXTURE – MAGS – FUEL – FLAPS – RUDDERS UP