What seemed like a simple, short flight for Alan Williams to Lake Meridian in Kent so a friend could use his seaplane as a backdrop for a wedding ceremony, turned out to be the final flight for the 74-year-old pilot.
Nearly two years after Williams crashed his Cessna A185F on Saturday morning, Aug. 24, 2024 into Lake Meridian, was rescued from the cockpit under the water and died five days later in a hospital, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report.
Similar to its preliminary report issued about 30 days after the crash, the NTSB determined that the pilot had left the landing gear down when it should have been retracted. As the floats were about to hit the water, the plane abruptly nosed over and came to rest inverted, partially submerged in the lake…