Seaplane or Amphibian
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Sea
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 250; Flight Crew Total 10000; Flight Crew Type 80
Distraction; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Evacuated; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Human Factors
I departed for a short flight to inspect the underside of my amphibious floats and to meet with the Airport Manager. After a short visit with him and his wife; my passenger and I departed for the 4 mile flight back to a lake; wanting to be landing well before sunset. I took off and departed the local pattern on a left downwind. Just a minute or so clear the pattern the lake came into view and I set up an overfly and left pattern to land. A small group of boats were together in the middle of the lake and my approach to the lake had the aircraft landing just past the group of boats. A brief good-bye on the radio departing; the very short trip back to the lake and the calculations on the approach with the boat traffic all provided just enough distraction that I missed a final gear check. At touch down; with the gear still down; the aircraft flipped almost immediately on contact with the water. My passenger and I egressed the inverted aircraft quickly and were picked up by a nearby pontoon boat just as fast. I had a minor facial injury and my passenger was uninjured.I had given a short safety brief to my passenger concerning the harness and points of reference; let him know where the PFD's were located but I failed to brief him on the three different means of gear position indication and should have asked for his involvement with the checks along with me.
Seaplane pilot reported leaving the gear down while landing. On gear contact with the water; the aircraft flipped onto its back. The occupants evacuated and were largely unharmed.