On 7 August 1913 the aircraft suffered a structural failure during flight trials and both Cody and his passenger were killed.

The Cody Floatplane was a three-bay biplane of orthodox design for an aircraft of its time, with a single elevator operated by a bamboo push-rod mounted on booms in front of the wing and a single rudder and small horizontal stabiliser on booms behind it.

Power was provided by a 100 hp (75 kW) Green engine mounted on the wing centre section driving a 10.75 ft (3.28 m) diameter Garuda propeller via a chain.

[1] It was fitted with its floats and carried out flotation tests on the Basingstoke Canal at Mytchett on 30 July.

[1] Early on the morning of 7 August Cody carried out a 70-mile (113 km) test flight, with the plan of flying down to Calshot, Southampton, where the aircraft would be fitted with its floats to carry out test flights from water.