Posted for "Bill & Sue" <harrelson@erols.com>:

   Hello Patrick,

   I've been reading a lot about ditching lately since we are planning on flying our 320 to England next June. Here is a web site that has a huge amount of information on the subject. http://www.equipped.com/ditchtoc.htm

   The best info seems to indicate gear up and flaps at a minimum setting for a low wing airplane. The advantage of gear down is that you probably will not "skip" and be out of control for the final splash. The disadvantages of gear down is the extremely abrupt  stop as well as a higher chance of wing damage with water entering the wells at 100 knots or so. Most of the advise is to try NOT to touch down as slowly as possible as this will cause the tail to hit first and slap the nose into very rapid contact with the water increasing the possibility of "submarineing".    The reason to use a minimum flap setting in a low wing airplane is that with full flaps,  the flaps will be the first to touch the water. Even at stall speed, this will put enormous loads on the flaps and they will probably separate. They will probably not separate at the same time and may not separate completely. This asymmetry would lead to either cartwheeling or at least broaching sideways, digging one wing in and inducing large side loads and rolling moments.    There are many successful ditchings to gather information from but none so far (that I know of) in a Lancair.  The statistics indicate that over 90% of ditchings (ditching under control, as opposed to uncontrolled crashes into the water) are initially successful. That is, the occupants escape the airplane alive and relatively unhurt. More people die from hypothermia or drowning once in the water than die in the ditching itself.

   Lets hope that you (or I) never need this info.

   Bill
   harrelson@erols.com
   N5ZQ  LNC2  O-320  VA42  Fredericksburg, VA