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14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, March 04, 2013 in Bellevue, WA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/24/2013
Aircraft: WESTON SEA-ERA, registration: N226SE
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that, during takeoff from a lake, the airplane started to bounce from wave to wave, and it eventually porpoised. When the pilot reduced power to abort the takeoff, the left wingtip ski struck a wave, and the airplane yawed to the left. The right wing then struck the water, and the airplane abruptly stopped. The fuselage and wing spars were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that the wind on the lake at the time of the accident was about 18 knots and that the waves were about 12 to 15 inches high. The pilot reported that the highest waves he had previously encountered in this airplane were 10 to 12 inches high. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain control during takeoff on choppy water conditions.
The pilot reported that during takeoff from a lake, the airplane started to bounce from wave to wave and eventually developed into a porpoise. As power was reduced to abort the takeoff, the left wing tip ski struck a wave and the airplane yawed to the left. The right wing then struck the water and the airplane came to an abrupt stop. The fuselage and wing spars were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that the wind on the lake at the time of the accident was about 18 knots and the waves were about 12-15 inches high. The pilot reported that prior to this; the largest waves the airplane has encountered were 10-12 inches high. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Accident occurred March 4, 2013
Paul Weston shakes the water out of his plane’s wing after he moved back onto land after it crashed in Lake Sammamish.
Photo by Ari Cetron
Accident occurred June 24, 2009 in Lake Sammamish
It doesn’t always end in crashes. When Redmond resident Paul Weston crashed his experimental plane in Lake Sammamish March 4, there was a bit of deja vu. Weston, who was not seriously injured, had crashed the same plane in about the same spot in the lake in June 2009.
This time around, the problem was the weather. Drawn out by a sunny day in March, conditions were still windy. The float plane – it has no landing gear and can only take off and land on water – was unable to achieve liftoff due to the water conditions, Weston said.
“It was just too choppy,” he said, sporting makeshift bandages made of wadded up paper towels and white electrical tape.
As the 86-year-old was trying to take off, the nose of the plane lifted up and one of the wings clipped the water, causing the plane to spin. Weston was able to taxi the plan back to shore at Vasa Park in Bellevue – the same location he used in 2009.
Weston said he’s a hobbyist who designed the fiberglass, single-seat aircraft himself. He said he built it in his garage. Other than the two crashes, he said he logged about 86 hours of flight time in the plane.
Weston and a few helpers disassembled the plane and loaded it onto a trailer to bring back to his house.
Police notified the Federal Aviation Administration, as is standard in these cases, said Sgt. Cindy West of the King County Sheriff’s Office.
NTSB Identification: WPR09CA310
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, June 24, 2009 in Bellevue, WA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/10/2009
Aircraft: Weston SEA-ERA, registration: N226SE
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The light sport aircraft student pilot was taking his experimental light sport seaplane for its second test flight. The student pilot reported that he reduced power without verifying the airplane's airspeed during the landing and the left wing dropped; the airplane subsequently touched down hard upon the water. Damage included composite material fractures on both vertical fins. The student pilot had about 32 hours total time and had been signed off by his certified flight instructor to fly a single-engine land light sport airplane. He was not signed off for solo flight in the accident airplane. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Excellent hull deign. Crash test proved the effectiveness of the forward step. With out that the airplane would be in pieces at the bottom of the lake.
ReplyDeletePaul Weston Designer/Builder/Test Pilot.