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| Date: | Thursday 2 May 2013 |
| Time: | 16:29 |
| Type: |  Grumman G-44 Widgeon |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8AS |
| MSN: | 1315 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1943 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2251 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming GO-480-B1D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hudson River, Germantown, NY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Copake, NY (3NK8) |
| Copake, NY (3NK8) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Witnesses reported observing the twin-engine amphibious airplane flying southbound low above a river and hearing the engine running. The airplane then made a 180-degree left turn, which was consistent with the pilot flying a tight traffic pattern before attempting a water landing. The airplane then descended, leveled off above the water, and suddenly banked left. The airplane’s nose and left pontoon then struck the water, and the airplane nosed over, caught fire, and sank.
Postrecovery examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear was in the “up” position and that the flaps were extended, which indicates that the airplane had been configured for a water landing. No evidence of any preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airplane or engines was found that would have precluded normal operation.
At the time of the accident, a light breeze was blowing, the river was at slack tide, and the water conditions were calm, all of which were conducive to glassy water conditions. It is likely that the glassy water conditions adversely affected the pilot’s depth perception and led to his inability to correctly judge the airplane’s height above the water. He subsequently flared the airplane too high, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack, entering an aerodynamic stall, and impacting the water in a nose-low attitude.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s misjudgment of the airplane’s altitude above the water and early flare for a landing on water with a glassy condition, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-May-2013 22:53 | Geno | Added |
| 03-May-2013 13:04 | dfix1 | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 03-May-2013 19:16 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 03-May-2013 22:26 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Source, ] |
| 04-May-2013 01:18 | Anon. | Updated [Departure airport, ] |
| 04-May-2013 13:09 | 78Delta | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-May-2013 14:31 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 04-May-2013 22:02 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 06-May-2013 16:25 | TB | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 18-May-2013 09:32 | ColRes | Updated [Source, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 28-Nov-2017 14:39 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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