NTSB Identification: ERA14CA204
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, April 19, 2014 in Somerville, NJ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/05/2014
Aircraft: CESSNA A185E, registration: N2219T
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot of the amphibian airplane reported that as he was approaching the destination airport with the intention of landing on runway 30. During the approach, the recorded weather information at the airport indicated a left crosswind at 9 knots, gusting to 12 knots. On final approach, the crosswind was stronger than the pilot expected. The airplane touched down on the asphalt runway, but then drifted left off the runway and into the grass. The nosegear and right float dug into the soft turf, which resulted in a noseover. During the noseover, the right wing impacted the ground and the airplane came to rest inverted. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the right wing. The recorded wind at the destination airport, shortly after the accident, was varying between 270 and 010 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing in a gusty crosswind.
BEDMINSTER — A small aircraft overturned while it was landing at the Somerset Airport Saturday morning when a gust of wind caused it to veer off the runway, police said.
Police responded to the airport at 11:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a plane crash, and, upon arriving, found a Cessna 185 overturned in the grass about 20 feet off of runway 30, police said in a news release.
Richard Skevington, the pilot, and his wife, Mary Skevington, both of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., were uninjured in the crash, and had exited the plane by the time officers arrived on the scene, police said.
Richard Skevington told officers that the plane was blown by a strong gust of wind while touching down, and ran off the left side of the runway into the soft grass, causing it to overturn, police said.
The Far Hills-Bedminister Fire Department and First Aid Squad responded to the scene, and a New Jersey State Police NorthStar helicopter was already on the scene when township police arrived, police said.
The Federal Aviation Administration was contacted and will investigate the crash, police said.
FAA IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 2219T Make/Model: C185 Description: 185, A185E
Date: 07/21/2012 Time: 1741
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown
LOCATION
City: SARATOGA State: NY Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT FLOAT PLANE FLIPPED OVER UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, SARATOGA, NY
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: ALBANY, NY (EA01) Entry date: 07/24/2012
Only the pontoons of this 1968 seaplane are visible after the vessel capsized in Saratoga Lake Saturday afternoon.
(Jeff Couch / The Record)
Firefighters place a floating boom around an overturned float plane, at right, on Saratoga Lake Saturday July 21, 2012. The Cessna 185 float plane capsized as owner Craig Skevington of Saratoga Lake was pumping out a pontoon after a flight. No injuries were reported.
(John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
SARATOGA SPRINGS — A small plane overturned in Saratoga Lake Saturday, causing law enforcement and rescue teams to respond and family members to fear the worst.
Craig Skevington, 58, who lives on Saratoga Lake, landed his 1968 Cessna 185 float plane near his home at around 1:20 p.m. Saturday. Minutes later, it capsized, and its bottom could be seen upside down in the lake near the Tropic Hut restaurant.
Skevington's wife, Mary, said she saw only the plane's pontoons sticking out of the water and thought her husband had crashed into the lake. Other observers called 911, apparently believing the same thing.
State Police, city police, state Department of Environmental Conservation officers, and fire and emergency crews sped to the scene and formed a command center off Route 9P near the Saratoga County Veterans Memorial Bridge. Traffic on Route 9P slowed and boats on the lake thinned as police motored to the location of the plane.
It soon became evident that the plane had not crashed.
When Skevington turned the plane's motor off, he noticed water building up inside the plane's landing pontoons. He attempted to pump the water out, but his weight caused the plane to capsize in the water, according to police. Neither Skevington nor a passenger, Paul Forde, 56, were injured. They were transported to the shore by passing boaters.
"Any water contamination from the plane's fuel appears to be minimum," State Police said in a statement. The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident, they said.
After being interviewed by police, Skevington met with his relieved wife and explained what happened. He said he has flown for many years, but will need a new plane for the future.
"It's totaled," he said.
Story and photos: http://www.timesunion.com
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