Pilot of a lake, LA250, amphibious aircraft taxied into a state park marina and up onto the boat ram...

Attributes
ACN	507939
Time
Date	200104
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : u30.airport
State Reference	AZ
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : lax.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	LA-250
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : taxi ground : parked
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 24000 flight time type : 45
ASRS Report	507939
Person 2
Affiliation	government other
Function	other personnel other
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical airspace violation : entry ground encounters other non adherence : published procedure non adherence other
Independent Detector	other other : 2 (state ranger)
Resolutory Action	flight crew : overcame equipment problem flight crew : landed as precaution flight crew : exited penetrated airspace
Consequence	other Other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Airspace Structure Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

I am flying my lake renegade (amphibian) doing water work. After some time, I noticed right wing heavier and more control input necessary for wings level. On last landing, I noticed right sponson deeper in water than the left one and suspected right sponson had taken on water and maybe too much water. I was outside temple ban harbor (on the arizona side of lake mead) and decided to water taxi into harbor. The boat ramps were clean of traffic. No one answered my ship-to-shore radio, nor unicom, so I lowered the landing gear and taxied up the boat ramp and stopped. No sooner did I get out of the plane, when the park ranger came up to me, said to wait while his boss came and the head guy gave me a ticket. He would not listen to me why I was there, and while he was writing out the citation, I drained the sponson of water. Ranger told me to start my engine and leave. I did, and flew back to land and have appointment to have mechanic look over sponson and replace a rivet or two. Looking back, this was not an emergency, but it could have been. Ranger never gave me a chance to explain because after taking my license and information, he went into his truck and wrote the citation. I will see this guy in court. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he had received an inquiry from the state park service with regard to documents supporting his allegation regarding the leaky sponson float. He further stated that he believed that it would have been unsafe to take off again before inspecting the float for possible damage, and at least draining any water that had leaked into the sponson since he could lose lateral control of the aircraft due to a heavy wing near the tip. Considerable water was drained out of the sponson

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A LAKE, LA250, AMPHIBIOUS ACFT TAXIED INTO A STATE PARK MARINA AND UP ONTO THE BOAT RAMP FOR THE PURPOSE OF DRAINING WATER FROM ONE OF HIS SPONSON FLOATS THAT SEEMED TO BE FILLING WITH WATER AFTER MAKING LNDGS IN THE MAIN PART OF THE LAKE. HE WAS APCHED BY A STATE PARK RANGER AND GIVEN A CITATION FOR VIOLATION OF PARK RULES.

Narrative: I AM FLYING MY LAKE RENEGADE (AMPHIBIAN) DOING WATER WORK. AFTER SOME TIME, I NOTICED R WING HEAVIER AND MORE CTL INPUT NECESSARY FOR WINGS LEVEL. ON LAST LNDG, I NOTICED R SPONSON DEEPER IN WATER THAN THE L ONE AND SUSPECTED R SPONSON HAD TAKEN ON WATER AND MAYBE TOO MUCH WATER. I WAS OUTSIDE TEMPLE BAN HARBOR (ON THE ARIZONA SIDE OF LAKE MEAD) AND DECIDED TO WATER TAXI INTO HARBOR. THE BOAT RAMPS WERE CLEAN OF TFC. NO ONE ANSWERED MY SHIP-TO-SHORE RADIO, NOR UNICOM, SO I LOWERED THE LNDG GEAR AND TAXIED UP THE BOAT RAMP AND STOPPED. NO SOONER DID I GET OUT OF THE PLANE, WHEN THE PARK RANGER CAME UP TO ME, SAID TO WAIT WHILE HIS BOSS CAME AND THE HEAD GUY GAVE ME A TICKET. HE WOULD NOT LISTEN TO ME WHY I WAS THERE, AND WHILE HE WAS WRITING OUT THE CITATION, I DRAINED THE SPONSON OF WATER. RANGER TOLD ME TO START MY ENG AND LEAVE. I DID, AND FLEW BACK TO LAND AND HAVE APPOINTMENT TO HAVE MECH LOOK OVER SPONSON AND REPLACE A RIVET OR TWO. LOOKING BACK, THIS WAS NOT AN EMER, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN. RANGER NEVER GAVE ME A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN BECAUSE AFTER TAKING MY LICENSE AND INFO, HE WENT INTO HIS TRUCK AND WROTE THE CITATION. I WILL SEE THIS GUY IN COURT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED AN INQUIRY FROM THE STATE PARK SVC WITH REGARD TO DOCUMENTS SUPPORTING HIS ALLEGATION REGARDING THE LEAKY SPONSON FLOAT. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNSAFE TO TAKE OFF AGAIN BEFORE INSPECTING THE FLOAT FOR POSSIBLE DAMAGE, AND AT LEAST DRAINING ANY WATER THAT HAD LEAKED INTO THE SPONSON SINCE HE COULD LOSE LATERAL CTL OF THE ACFT DUE TO A HVY WING NEAR THE TIP. CONSIDERABLE WATER WAS DRAINED OUT OF THE SPONSON

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.