# When Maritime Meets Aviation: The Safety of Seaplanes on the Water
## 3 Results
### Analysis of Previous Accidents and Incidents
#### 3.1.2 Trend Analysis
Occurrences with less than major structural problems with the aircraft are not required to be reported unless there has been a death, injury, missing aircraft, or collision [18], which is reflected in the low numbers of occurrences where the aircraft had minor or no damage. Figure 8 indicates that the landing phase is the most hazardous for recreational seaplane operations in Canada, accounting for 51.5% of occurrences. It shows an increasing trend, with an average increase in the past decade, following a peak period between 2013 and 2019. The trendline for take-off (accounting for 22.75% of the occurrences) is slightly decreasing, with an increase in 2020-2021. Figure 8: Number of occurrences during the top 5 phases of flight, for private recreational seaplane operations in Canada. Figure 7: Aircraft damage level per year, for private, recreational, on-water seaplane operations in Canada. Figure 9 shows the number of occurrences during take-off for the studied period. It shows several peaks, indicating intermittent periods of increased risk. Despite a low profile for take-off in 2014-2019, the years 2020 and 2021 show the highest number of occurrences in the past decade, despite restrictions on the general population due to the COVID-19 pandemic in those years. The data for landing show an increasing trend in occurrences from around 2013 onwards, peaking notably in 2016. This indicates a possible shift in the underlying factors contributing to landing incidents, such as changes in operational procedures, increased seaplane activity, or variations in reporting practices. The distribution of the type of landing gear of the seaplanes involved in occurrences is 62.23% float and 32.83% amphibious (float-wheel and hull-wheel). The number of float seaplanes in Canada is expected to be higher than that of amphibious aircraft, although exact numbers could not be obtained, hence the difference in the number of occurrences for these categories. Figure 10 illustrates the number of occurrences for different occurrence categories, per different landing gear. It shows that float-equipped seaplanes have the highest number of occurrences across all categories, particularly in \"LOC-G\" (loss of control on ground), with 28.62% of float occurrences. Amphibious float-wheel and hull-wheel configurations also show significant numbers of occurrences, albeit to a lesser extent. The most frequent type of occurrence for amphibious aircraft is \"ARC\" (abnormal runway contact), with 37.25% of amphibious occurrences. Figure 10: Number of occurrences for different categorizations, per different landing gear, for private, recreational, on-water seaplane operations in Canada. Figure 9: Number of occurrences during take-off per year, for private recreational seaplane operations in Canada. Between 1993 and 2022, private recreational seaplane occurrences in Canada led to 179 fatalities and 401 injuries, out of which the on-water occurrences led to 37 fatalities and 140 injuries. Most of the injuries occurred after abnormal runway contact (31.43%), followed by loss of control on ground (15.71%) and engine failures (10%). When considering the number of fatalities, the majority occurred during unknown circumstances (35.14%), followed by abnormal runway contact and loss of control in flight (13.51% each). The landing phase shows the highest number of injuries (62.14%) and fatalities (64.86%), followed by the take-off phase (23.57% of injuries and 16.22% of fatalities). Figure 11 outlines the changes in the numbers of injuries and fatalities over the studied period, showing an increasing trendline in the number of injuries and a constant one for fatalities. Despite low numbers in 2021-2022, this figure indicates peak values every decade, each higher than the time period before, which is concerning for the safety of seaplanes on the water.