Narrative:

While planning my approach and taxi up a water ramp that I was told I could use, I flew over the bahamian island and noticed the tide to be high. After making a water landing, I taxied toward the ramp with the wheels in the up position. As I approached the ramp, I pulled the mixture to stop the engine. I coasted to the new wooden ramp. I noticed the ramp to be floating approximately 2-3 inches below the surface. The ramp was not attached to the bay bottom. The 2 front wheels acted to lift the ramp above the wheel and into the floats. Upon inspection I noticed the floats to be slightly damaged. Most of the damage was concentrated to the rubber bumpers and approximately 1 inch into the floats. We pushed the airplane into deeper water so I could cycle the gear several times with no apparent problems. After departing, I flew to nassau (mynn) to clear out with again no problems. Arriving into fll, I tried to extend the landing gear but only the right side lowered partially and the left side stayed up. I recycled the gear many times with absolutely no change. I was also not able to recycle the gear to the up position. At that point I had notified the tower that I had a landing gear problem. I did not declare an emergency. My next step was to try the hand pump which did get the gear down and locked and landed without incident. When on the ground I had reinspected the gear and found that from the earlier damage it had put some pressure on a pulley with a cable that operated the landing gear. Because this was a new ramp and I was unfamiliar with it, I should have approached it with greater caution.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLOAT PLANE PLT TAXIES HIS C206 AMPHIBIAN INTO A PARTIALLY SUBMERGED WATER RAMP. THE FRONT WHEELS, PARTLY EXPOSED, LIFTED THE RAMP INTO THE PONTOON, ALTERING THE OPERATING CAPABILITY OF A CABLE PULLEY THAT LOWERS THE GND SURFACE WHEELS.

Narrative: WHILE PLANNING MY APCH AND TAXI UP A WATER RAMP THAT I WAS TOLD I COULD USE, I FLEW OVER THE BAHAMIAN ISLAND AND NOTICED THE TIDE TO BE HIGH. AFTER MAKING A WATER LNDG, I TAXIED TOWARD THE RAMP WITH THE WHEELS IN THE UP POS. AS I APCHED THE RAMP, I PULLED THE MIXTURE TO STOP THE ENG. I COASTED TO THE NEW WOODEN RAMP. I NOTICED THE RAMP TO BE FLOATING APPROX 2-3 INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE. THE RAMP WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE BAY BOTTOM. THE 2 FRONT WHEELS ACTED TO LIFT THE RAMP ABOVE THE WHEEL AND INTO THE FLOATS. UPON INSPECTION I NOTICED THE FLOATS TO BE SLIGHTLY DAMAGED. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS CONCENTRATED TO THE RUBBER BUMPERS AND APPROX 1 INCH INTO THE FLOATS. WE PUSHED THE AIRPLANE INTO DEEPER WATER SO I COULD CYCLE THE GEAR SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO APPARENT PROBS. AFTER DEPARTING, I FLEW TO NASSAU (MYNN) TO CLR OUT WITH AGAIN NO PROBS. ARRIVING INTO FLL, I TRIED TO EXTEND THE LNDG GEAR BUT ONLY THE R SIDE LOWERED PARTIALLY AND THE L SIDE STAYED UP. I RECYCLED THE GEAR MANY TIMES WITH ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGE. I WAS ALSO NOT ABLE TO RECYCLE THE GEAR TO THE UP POS. AT THAT POINT I HAD NOTIFIED THE TWR THAT I HAD A LNDG GEAR PROB. I DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER. MY NEXT STEP WAS TO TRY THE HAND PUMP WHICH DID GET THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. WHEN ON THE GND I HAD REINSPECTED THE GEAR AND FOUND THAT FROM THE EARLIER DAMAGE IT HAD PUT SOME PRESSURE ON A PULLEY WITH A CABLE THAT OPERATED THE LNDG GEAR. BECAUSE THIS WAS A NEW RAMP AND I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH IT, I SHOULD HAVE APCHED IT WITH GREATER CAUTION.

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.