Mariner Unknown accident near Lino Lakes, Minnesota, July 9, 2023
On July 9, 2023 at about 1:00 am local time, a Mariner Unknown, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lino Lakes, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to retract the landing gear on the amphibious airplane before landing on water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2023 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lino Lakes, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mariner Unknown
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial Unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was flying his amphibious airplane over a neighborhood and decided to do a touch and go on a lake; however, he failed to retract the landing gear and the airplane flipped over when it contacted the water. The airplane came to rest inverted in the lake and sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot did not report to the responding law enforcement officer that there were any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was contacted on multiple occasions, but he did not submit the required National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 370 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Unknown (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 25D Forest Lake MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from KANE, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KANE 090045Z 33007KT 10SM CLR 24/07 A2989
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 17, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum for Record - Responding Law Enforcement Officer | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.