On July 18, 2005, the pilot of a Cessna A185F seaplane was on his first return flight of the season from his cabin at Norcan Lake, Ont., to his home near Constance Lake, Ont. This flight, conducted according to VFR, included a stop for fuel at Centennial/Black Donald Lake. After refuelling, the pilot took off and, at approximately 10:45 EDT, the aircraft was about 100 ft above the north shore of the eastern section of Constance Lake, proceeding in a southerly direction.

At approximately 10:50 EDT, the aircraft cartwheeled on the lake, travelling in a northwesterly direction and adjacent to the north shore of the eastern section of the lake. The aircraft came to rest inverted in the lake with most of the aircraft visible. It floated approximately 500 ft east, then came to rest on the bottom of the lake, with only the bottom of the floats visible. Some local residents attempted a rescue, but they were unable to get the pilot out of the aircraft. The pilot had manoeuvred himself into the right seat, but he was unable to exit the aircraft, and drowned.

Findings as to causes and contributing factors

1.        For undetermined reasons, the aircraft cartwheeled after contacting the water and came to rest in an inverted position.

2.        The pilot was unable to exit the aircraft, and drowned.

Findings as to risk

1.        The pilot had not flown a training flight with an instructor for more than four years. This likely resulted in a degradation of his skills and decision-making processes.

2.        The current recency requirements in Canada allow pilots to go for extended periods without retraining on critical flight skills, presenting a risk that pilots will be ill-prepared to deal with unusual or critical flight situations when they arise.

3.        The design of the door lock mechanism on the Cessna A185F prevents opening the doors from the outside when locked from the inside. This same design is currently being used in all of Cessna’s new production single-engine aircraft.

4.        The exterior door handles are not easily discernable when the handles are closed and visibility is poor.

5.        The pilot was not wearing his prescription glasses while flying.

6.        The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) switch was not in the armed position, preventing activation on impact.

Other finding

1.        It could not be determined whether the pilot had complied with the recency requirements of subsection 401.05(2) of the CARs.

Safety concern

The following safety concern is similar to the one published in report A04W0114, described earlier in this article. Based on historical data, occupants of submerged seaplanes who survive the accident continue to be at risk of drowning inside the aircraft. Existing defences against drowning in such circumstances may not be adequate. In light of the potential loss of life associated with seaplane accidents on water, the TSB is concerned that seaplane occupants may not be adequately prepared to escape the aircraft after it becomes submerged. Of equal concern is that the rescuers, in this occurrence, could not access the cabin from outside.