Float Planes Crashed on the West Coast-all safe

• Jul 17, 2025

• #1

fubar57

General

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Nov 22, 2009

The Jungles of Canada

Any guess why it crashed on landing in the water........anyone?

2 people rescued after float plane crash off Lasqueti Island, B.C. | CBC News

Officials say two people were safely rescued after a float plane crashed in False Bay on the west side of Lasqueti Island, B.C., Thursday morning.

www.cbc.ca

 

• Jul 18, 2025

• #2

Thumpalumpacus

Lieutenant Colonel

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Feb 5, 2021

Tejas

fubar57 said:

Any guess why it crashed on landing in the water........anyone?

2 people rescued after float plane crash off Lasqueti Island, B.C. | CBC News

Officials say two people were safely rescued after a float plane crashed in False Bay on the west side of Lasqueti Island, B.C., Thursday morning.

www.cbc.ca

Click to expand...

Who can say?

 

• Jul 18, 2025

• #3

Airframes

Benevolens Magister

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Aug 24, 2008

Cheshire, UK

Tripped over a salmon ?

But more seriously, possibly a "heavy" landing, with the floats sinking through the surface, causing sudden deceleration, and then the inertia causing the aircraft to violently nose over ?

 

Last edited: Jul 18, 2025

• Jul 18, 2025

• #4

S

special ed

1st Lieutenant

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May 13, 2018

Why were the wheels down for a water landing?

 

• Jul 18, 2025

• #5

Sabrejet

Senior Airman

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Apr 5, 2023

special ed said:

Why were the wheels down for a water landing?

Click to expand...

That is already an assumption; wheels down in the photo of it upturned does not equate to "wheels down for a water landing".

 

• Jul 18, 2025

• #6

S

special ed

1st Lieutenant

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May 13, 2018

So... The wheels were extended after landing, while upside down?

 

• Jul 18, 2025

• #7

M

MIflyer

Captain

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May 30, 2011

Cape Canaveral

Well, on the other hand, that's a right smart job of docking.

A friend of mine with some floatplane experience once remarked, "You don't have to be that great a pilot to fly one of those but you have to be one hell of a sailor."

 

• Jul 18, 2025

• #8

Sabrejet

Senior Airman

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Apr 5, 2023

special ed said:

So... The wheels were extended after landing, while upside down?

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Again, an assumption; an accident investigator would only conclude (at this point) that the wheels were extended by the time it was recovered. "...were extended" implies a conscious action and highlights the risks of making assumptions.

 

• Jul 19, 2025

• #9

G

gecko

Airman

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6

Apr 18, 2014

Normally if the landing gear on amphibious floats are extended, a water landing will result in exactly this outcome. At a guess the pilot took off from a land runway and never retracted the gear. As soon as those wheels dig into the water it's game over.

 

• Jul 19, 2025

• Thread starter
• #10

fubar57

General

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Nov 22, 2009

The Jungles of Canada

Zactly. Google "float plane landing on water with wheels down" and that's the result and exactly what the eyewitness reported. Thanks for playing. Tell us what he's won, Johnny

 

• Jul 19, 2025

• #11

Gnomey

Globetrotting Surgeon General

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Glad everyone is safe at least!

 

• Jul 19, 2025

• #12

M

MIflyer

Captain

8,254

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May 30, 2011

Cape Canaveral

gecko said:

Normally if the landing gear on amphibious floats are extended, a water landing will result in exactly this outcome.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have heard of other cases where this occurred. A PBY landing off Catalina Island circa 1972 sank after it landed wheels down and a USAF HU-16 did so off the shore of Libya as part of a rescue demonstration.