Narrative:

I picked up small aircraft at FBO after its annual. While at FBO, I discussed with the mechanic prior flap problem, the new #5 cylinder, and the oil pressure. I was told to run aircraft hard for about 30 mins to work in the cylinder and to monitor the oil pressure. The oil pressure gauge was to be adjusted after the flight. Using the checklist I did a preflight check and taxied over to terminal 1 to pick up my passenger. After checking ATIS, with ground permission, taxied to runway 9L. Did a runup check using checklist and noticed that oil pressure read high. Previously, told to expect this. On takeoff noticed that aircraft creaked a few times or bumped a few times as if left shock was softer than right or as if left wheel hit a few runway bumps. Otherwise takeoff was uneventful. With permission of miami approach and at an assigned altitude of 2000 ft, did straight west to east then back east to west a few times at about 75% power. Noted that #5 cylinder on egt had cooled down to range of other cylinders and that oil pressure still read high. Asked miami approach to allow frequency change to opa lock tower. After being asked to head briefly to northwest, miami turned us south and gave permission for frequency change. Tuned in opa locka's localizer on #1 VOR and contacted tower for 9L full stop landing. Received winds and direction. Winds were from southeast quartering the aircraft. Began gump check. Slowed aircraft to about 130 mph and lowered gear. Due to right crosswind, lowered right wing and applied left rudder. At this point, noted that plane did not want to line up with runway. There was little effect with the left rudder. It took a great deal of left rudder to get aircraft to line up with runway. At this time, we were still quite a way out, probably 4-5 mi. As the plane got closer to runway, lower and slower -- it did line up with the runway. At about 100 mph, I lowered about 1/4 flaps. Also, did the second gump check, being certain that fuel pump was on, mixture and propellers were both full forward. Crossed numbers a little over the GS based on VASI lights and gsi as I wanted to do. It appeared that it was going to be a perfect landing. The runway was wet and a small right crosswind. Main wheels touched down right in the center of runway. I pulled power to off. Airplane did not want to go straight. The controls would not go neutral. It pulled hard to the left. I quickly applied right rudder to compensate. No result. Then applied brakes. Plane still attempted to go left. Managed to hold the plane straight very briefly, then I felt plane pull left. I believe I got the plane straight 1 more time. To prevent plane from spinning/turning to right (which it felt like it was now going to do), I let up on brakes. At this point, plane turned sharply to left and left the runway. As my passenger and I saw the plane heading toward water, we reacted as we had discussed and were told to in FAA safety seminars. She unlatched door and propped it open. I pulled the wheel back as hard as I could to prevent the plane from hitting water nose-first and flipping over. The plane skidded on the wet grass and struck something. It may have been a rock or the embankment. It then bounced up and landed in the water on its belly. I hit the talk button to tell tower were in the water. They were already aware. Passenger and I then left the plane. I went back into the plane to get my briefcase which had my pilot's log and to get my keys and turn off switches. As I entered plane, it lurched forward and started going under water nose first. I was thrown against the instrument panel with my briefcase in one hand. For a few seconds, I was pressed against the instruments. Then passenger helped pull me out of the plane. We swam to south bank of the water. Both of us were taken to the hospital. I had 5 stitches placed in my chin. Passenger had a laceration and bump on her forehead. They took x-rays of passenger. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said that his insurance company wrote the aircraft off as the left main gear and the nose gear both were damaged, and there was water damage. The FAA and possibly the NTSB investigated the occurrence. He did not say that the FAA called it an accident. There has been no decision asto what caused the incident. The nose gear may have been cocked, the left brake may have been locked, the landing gear may have been pointing to the left, etc. There was little crosswind and the runway was wet but not very wet. Hydroplaning and the crosswind may have been the answer. The aircraft is owned by a flying club. His passenger is a commercial pilot. Neither were seriously injured. The local FAA has required the pilot to be retrained.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMA PLT HAD A RWY EXCURSION AND ENDED UP IN A CANAL.

Narrative: I PICKED UP SMA AT FBO AFTER ITS ANNUAL. WHILE AT FBO, I DISCUSSED WITH THE MECH PRIOR FLAP PROBLEM, THE NEW #5 CYLINDER, AND THE OIL PRESSURE. I WAS TOLD TO RUN ACFT HARD FOR ABOUT 30 MINS TO WORK IN THE CYLINDER AND TO MONITOR THE OIL PRESSURE. THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE WAS TO BE ADJUSTED AFTER THE FLT. USING THE CHKLIST I DID A PREFLT CHK AND TAXIED OVER TO TERMINAL 1 TO PICK UP MY PAX. AFTER CHKING ATIS, WITH GND PERMISSION, TAXIED TO RWY 9L. DID A RUNUP CHK USING CHKLIST AND NOTICED THAT OIL PRESSURE READ HIGH. PREVIOUSLY, TOLD TO EXPECT THIS. ON TKOF NOTICED THAT ACFT CREAKED A FEW TIMES OR BUMPED A FEW TIMES AS IF L SHOCK WAS SOFTER THAN R OR AS IF L WHEEL HIT A FEW RWY BUMPS. OTHERWISE TKOF WAS UNEVENTFUL. WITH PERMISSION OF MIAMI APCH AND AT AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 2000 FT, DID STRAIGHT W TO E THEN BACK E TO W A FEW TIMES AT ABOUT 75% PWR. NOTED THAT #5 CYLINDER ON EGT HAD COOLED DOWN TO RANGE OF OTHER CYLINDERS AND THAT OIL PRESSURE STILL READ HIGH. ASKED MIAMI APCH TO ALLOW FREQ CHANGE TO OPA LOCK TWR. AFTER BEING ASKED TO HEAD BRIEFLY TO NW, MIAMI TURNED US S AND GAVE PERMISSION FOR FREQ CHANGE. TUNED IN OPA LOCKA'S LOC ON #1 VOR AND CONTACTED TWR FOR 9L FULL STOP LNDG. RECEIVED WINDS AND DIRECTION. WINDS WERE FROM SE QUARTERING THE ACFT. BEGAN GUMP CHK. SLOWED ACFT TO ABOUT 130 MPH AND LOWERED GEAR. DUE TO R XWIND, LOWERED R WING AND APPLIED L RUDDER. AT THIS POINT, NOTED THAT PLANE DID NOT WANT TO LINE UP WITH RWY. THERE WAS LITTLE EFFECT WITH THE L RUDDER. IT TOOK A GREAT DEAL OF L RUDDER TO GET ACFT TO LINE UP WITH RWY. AT THIS TIME, WE WERE STILL QUITE A WAY OUT, PROBABLY 4-5 MI. AS THE PLANE GOT CLOSER TO RWY, LOWER AND SLOWER -- IT DID LINE UP WITH THE RWY. AT ABOUT 100 MPH, I LOWERED ABOUT 1/4 FLAPS. ALSO, DID THE SECOND GUMP CHK, BEING CERTAIN THAT FUEL PUMP WAS ON, MIXTURE AND PROPS WERE BOTH FULL FORWARD. CROSSED NUMBERS A LITTLE OVER THE GS BASED ON VASI LIGHTS AND GSI AS I WANTED TO DO. IT APPEARED THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE A PERFECT LNDG. THE RWY WAS WET AND A SMALL R XWIND. MAIN WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN R IN THE CTR OF RWY. I PULLED PWR TO OFF. AIRPLANE DID NOT WANT TO GO STRAIGHT. THE CTLS WOULD NOT GO NEUTRAL. IT PULLED HARD TO THE L. I QUICKLY APPLIED R RUDDER TO COMPENSATE. NO RESULT. THEN APPLIED BRAKES. PLANE STILL ATTEMPTED TO GO L. MANAGED TO HOLD THE PLANE STRAIGHT VERY BRIEFLY, THEN I FELT PLANE PULL L. I BELIEVE I GOT THE PLANE STRAIGHT 1 MORE TIME. TO PREVENT PLANE FROM SPINNING/TURNING TO R (WHICH IT FELT LIKE IT WAS NOW GOING TO DO), I LET UP ON BRAKES. AT THIS POINT, PLANE TURNED SHARPLY TO L AND LEFT THE RWY. AS MY PAX AND I SAW THE PLANE HDG TOWARD WATER, WE REACTED AS WE HAD DISCUSSED AND WERE TOLD TO IN FAA SAFETY SEMINARS. SHE UNLATCHED DOOR AND PROPPED IT OPEN. I PULLED THE WHEEL BACK AS HARD AS I COULD TO PREVENT THE PLANE FROM HITTING WATER NOSE-FIRST AND FLIPPING OVER. THE PLANE SKIDDED ON THE WET GRASS AND STRUCK SOMETHING. IT MAY HAVE BEEN A ROCK OR THE EMBANKMENT. IT THEN BOUNCED UP AND LANDED IN THE WATER ON ITS BELLY. I HIT THE TALK BUTTON TO TELL TWR WERE IN THE WATER. THEY WERE ALREADY AWARE. PAX AND I THEN LEFT THE PLANE. I WENT BACK INTO THE PLANE TO GET MY BRIEFCASE WHICH HAD MY PLT'S LOG AND TO GET MY KEYS AND TURN OFF SWITCHES. AS I ENTERED PLANE, IT LURCHED FORWARD AND STARTED GOING UNDER WATER NOSE FIRST. I WAS THROWN AGAINST THE INST PANEL WITH MY BRIEFCASE IN ONE HAND. FOR A FEW SECONDS, I WAS PRESSED AGAINST THE INSTS. THEN PAX HELPED PULL ME OUT OF THE PLANE. WE SWAM TO S BANK OF THE WATER. BOTH OF US WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. I HAD 5 STITCHES PLACED IN MY CHIN. PAX HAD A LACERATION AND BUMP ON HER FOREHEAD. THEY TOOK X-RAYS OF PAX. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT HIS INSURANCE COMPANY WROTE THE ACFT OFF AS THE L MAIN GEAR AND THE NOSE GEAR BOTH WERE DAMAGED, AND THERE WAS WATER DAMAGE. THE FAA AND POSSIBLY THE NTSB INVESTIGATED THE OCCURRENCE. HE DID NOT SAY THAT THE FAA CALLED IT AN ACCIDENT. THERE HAS BEEN NO DECISION ASTO WHAT CAUSED THE INCIDENT. THE NOSE GEAR MAY HAVE BEEN COCKED, THE L BRAKE MAY HAVE BEEN LOCKED, THE LNDG GEAR MAY HAVE BEEN POINTING TO THE L, ETC. THERE WAS LITTLE XWIND AND THE RWY WAS WET BUT NOT VERY WET. HYDROPLANING AND THE XWIND MAY HAVE BEEN THE ANSWER. THE ACFT IS OWNED BY A FLYING CLUB. HIS PAX IS A COMMERCIAL PLT. NEITHER WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE LCL FAA HAS REQUIRED THE PLT TO BE RETRAINED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.