Pilot Debrief

TURCK G L/DUFLO J T SEA REY near Winter Haven, FL — 2010-08-02

Final reportERA10LA391
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Date
2010-08-02
Location
Winter Haven, FL, USA
Airport
F57
Aircraft
TURCK G L/DUFLO J T SEA REY
Registration
N914SR
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed on approach for landing, resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with water.

NTSB narrative

A witness observed the seaplane during the initial climbout from a lake with a high angle of attack. After barely clearing trees, it made a left climbing turn and appeared to join the base leg of the traffic pattern for either the runway or the lake. The seaplane made a steep left turn and entered a left spin, impacting the lake in a nose-down attitude. A review of the of the seaplane’s performance specifications indicated that the seaplane would stall at 38 mph in the accident configuration. A postaccident examination of airframe, flight controls, engine assembly, and accessories revealed no anomalies. There were additionally no mechanical or electrical problems noted with the engine during an engine run and examination.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the landing approach when the aircraft was not stable.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 19 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents19

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