The Transportation Safety Board of Canada on Tuesday released its investigation report into the loss of
control and subsequent collision with water and fatality involving a
Cessna 185E at Taylor Lake, Ontario, Canada.
On May 24, 2014, a
privately-registered Cessna 185E, equipped with amphibious floats,
departed the Guelph Airpark for a flight to Taylor Lake, Ontario. The
pilot was the sole occupant of the aircraft. While conducting a
glassy-water landing, the pilot lost control and the aircraft
cartwheeled and sank. The aircraft fuselage was damaged by impact
forces and the pilot's door could not be opened. The pilot survived
the impact but was not able to escape the submerged aircraft before
drowning.
The investigation found that the right float
contacted the water first, dug in, and resulted in a loss of control
and the aircraft cartwheeling. With respect to contributing factors,
the investigation determined that the number of hours the pilot had
flown in recent years had decreased, and the pilot was likely less
proficient than in earlier years. This would make the glassy-water
landing more difficult. Glassy-water conditions are considered to
present the most difficulty for landing a seaplane, regardless of
experience. The mirror effect created by glassy-water conditions
affects depth perception making it difficult for pilots to determine
the aircraft's height above the water.
The investigation also
found that the pilot did not have emergency egress training. Although
not required by regulation, egress training has been shown to improve
the chances of exiting a submerged aircraft following a survivable
accident.
