Narrative:

On a recreational VFR flight from W29 to greenville, me. While en route southwest of the gardner VOR, we were talking to bradley approach. 1 of 3 ropes on the top of the floats came loose and started tangling in the pulley/cables leading to the rudder. I told bdl approach we were going to land on a lake below us and would be back in the air in a few mins. We landed on the lake and repaired the ropes and resecured them and took off. We saw boats on the lake, so we didn't think about any problem with landing on such a large lake. The problem with the ropes needed to be taken care of right then before they came totally loose. After we became airborne again, bdl was being asked to get our n-number phone number from the state air patrol. As it turns out, we had landed on a boston water supply lake and it was closed to seaplanes, except in an emergency. We were using a current VFR sectional chart and the chart did not show that the lake was closed. We continued on to our fuel stop in maine, but our tpas collision avoidance system continued to show traffic .8 mi from our plane for about an hour. We monitored 121.5, but the frequency was quiet. Maybe an aircraft was following us, but we never saw the traffic. As we approached the maine border, the traffic moved off. We landed in turner, me. Fueled, checked our cell phone -- we had no coverage, so were not able to check our messages. We continued on into northern maine and later received our messages and returned the calls to massachusetts air patrol to tell them who we were and the nature of our emergency and reason for landing on the lake. Finally, after more communication with the massachusetts state police, they closed the case for landing on the reservoir. In the future, specific water supply lakes that are closed to seaplanes and/or boats should be marked that way on VFR sectionals.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT OF A C185 FLOAT PLANE IS INVESTIGATED AFTER HE MAKES AN EMER LNDG ON A LAKE, NOT REALIZING THAT IT WAS A WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIR THAT WAS CLOSED TO ACFT OPS 20 MI SW OF GSM, MA.

Narrative: ON A RECREATIONAL VFR FLT FROM W29 TO GREENVILLE, ME. WHILE ENRTE SW OF THE GARDNER VOR, WE WERE TALKING TO BRADLEY APCH. 1 OF 3 ROPES ON THE TOP OF THE FLOATS CAME LOOSE AND STARTED TANGLING IN THE PULLEY/CABLES LEADING TO THE RUDDER. I TOLD BDL APCH WE WERE GOING TO LAND ON A LAKE BELOW US AND WOULD BE BACK IN THE AIR IN A FEW MINS. WE LANDED ON THE LAKE AND REPAIRED THE ROPES AND RESECURED THEM AND TOOK OFF. WE SAW BOATS ON THE LAKE, SO WE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT ANY PROB WITH LNDG ON SUCH A LARGE LAKE. THE PROB WITH THE ROPES NEEDED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF RIGHT THEN BEFORE THEY CAME TOTALLY LOOSE. AFTER WE BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN, BDL WAS BEING ASKED TO GET OUR N-NUMBER PHONE NUMBER FROM THE STATE AIR PATROL. AS IT TURNS OUT, WE HAD LANDED ON A BOSTON WATER SUPPLY LAKE AND IT WAS CLOSED TO SEAPLANES, EXCEPT IN AN EMER. WE WERE USING A CURRENT VFR SECTIONAL CHART AND THE CHART DID NOT SHOW THAT THE LAKE WAS CLOSED. WE CONTINUED ON TO OUR FUEL STOP IN MAINE, BUT OUR TPAS COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYS CONTINUED TO SHOW TFC .8 MI FROM OUR PLANE FOR ABOUT AN HR. WE MONITORED 121.5, BUT THE FREQ WAS QUIET. MAYBE AN ACFT WAS FOLLOWING US, BUT WE NEVER SAW THE TFC. AS WE APCHED THE MAINE BORDER, THE TFC MOVED OFF. WE LANDED IN TURNER, ME. FUELED, CHKED OUR CELL PHONE -- WE HAD NO COVERAGE, SO WERE NOT ABLE TO CHK OUR MESSAGES. WE CONTINUED ON INTO NORTHERN MAINE AND LATER RECEIVED OUR MESSAGES AND RETURNED THE CALLS TO MASSACHUSETTS AIR PATROL TO TELL THEM WHO WE WERE AND THE NATURE OF OUR EMER AND REASON FOR LNDG ON THE LAKE. FINALLY, AFTER MORE COM WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE, THEY CLOSED THE CASE FOR LNDG ON THE RESERVOIR. IN THE FUTURE, SPECIFIC WATER SUPPLY LAKES THAT ARE CLOSED TO SEAPLANES AND/OR BOATS SHOULD BE MARKED THAT WAY ON VFR SECTIONALS.

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.