CHIPPEWA LAKE, OH, USA
N219LJ
Ankenbruck SEAREY
The airplane landed on a smooth lake, and encountered a wake from the only boat that was operating at the time. The pilot increased power to get up 'on step,' and when the airplane hit the wake, it bounced up into the air about 3 feet. It came down into a second wake, the nose dug into the water and broke off, and the airplane flipped over. The pilot's seaplane transition training consisted of a checkout from his partner, and 8 to 10 water landings. He had 34 water landings at the time of the accident. Neither he nor his partner had a 'single-engine sea' airplane class rating. However, 14 CFR Part 61.31(k)(2) stated that rating limitations did not apply, even when carrying passengers, to '(iii) The holder of a pilot certificate when operating an aircraft under the authority of an experimental or provisional aircraft type certificate.' The pilot and his partner had planned on attending formal training during the upcoming winter.
On September 14, 1998, about 1830 Eastern Daylight Time, a homebuilt SeaRey, N219LJ, was substantially damaged during a water landing on Chippewa Lake, Ohio. The certificated private pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the flight between Wadsworth Municipal Airport (3G3), Ohio, and Chippewa Lake. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Chippewa Lake was about 2,500 feet across and 5,000 feet in length. According to the pilot, the airplane landed on the smooth lake, and he "noticed boat wakes rolling across the lake" from the only boat on the lake. The pilot increased power, and tried to get up "on step" before hitting the wake. The airplane hit the wake hard, and bounced up into the air about 3 feet. It came down into a second wake, the nose dug into the water and broke off, and the airplane flipped over. The pilot stated that he had accomplished 34 water landings when the accident occurred. He also said that his seaplane transition training consisted of a checkout by his partner, and 8 to 10 water landings. Neither he nor his partner had a "single-engine sea" airplane class rating. However, CFR Part 61.31(k)(2) stated that rating limitations did not apply, even when carrying passengers, to "(iii) The holder of a pilot certificate when operating an aircraft under the authority of an experimental or provisional aircraft type certificate." The pilot stated that he and his partner had planned on attending formal training during the upcoming winter.
Encounter with swells from a boat wake. A factor in the accident was the pilot's inadequate initial training.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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