14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 17, 2013 in Fowler, NY
Probable Cause Approval Date: 07/30/2014
Aircraft: KRIPS JACK E JR KOLB MK III, registration: N175TS
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot of the experimental, amateur-built, amphibian airplane was seriously injured and could not recall the accident; however, he did remember that he intended to take off from the lake, circle it at 1,000 feet above ground level, and then land on the lake. A witness on the lake reported that the airplane was performing takeoffs and landings on the lake and that, during the approach for another landing, the nose dropped, and the airplane subsequently impacted the water. Examination of the wreckage confirmed flight control continuity and did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a nose-down collision with water.
On July 17, 2013, about 1730 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Kolb MK III amphibian airplane, N175TS, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged while landing on Sylvia Lake, Fowler, New York. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated from Sylvia Lake about 1720.
The pilot was seriously injured in the accident and could not recall the time period from about 2 hours prior to the accident, until 10 days after the accident. The pilot added that although he could not recall the accident, he remembered that his intention was to complete a local flight after not flying for about 2 weeks. The pilot intended to takeoff, circle the lake at 1,000 feet above ground level, then return and land on the lake. The pilot also reported a total flight experience of 12,000 hours; of which, 100 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The pilot had flown about 5 hours and 2 hours, all in the accident airplane, during the 90-day and 30-day periods preceding the accident, respectively.
A witness, who was riding a personal watercraft on the lake, reported that the airplane was performing takeoffs and landings. During short final approach, as the airplane was nearing the southern shore, the nose lowered and the airplane impacted the water. The witness and another boat operator assisted the pilot out of the airplane.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The inspector was able to confirm flight control continuity and did not observe any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
The two-seat, high wing, experimental amateur-built airplane, serial number 8906, was assembled in 1998 and equipped with a Rotax 80-horsepower engine. The airplane's most recent annual condition inspection was completed in May, 2013. At that time, the airplane had accumulated 235 total hours of operation and the engine had accumulated 35 hours of operation since new. The airplane had flown an additional 5 hours, from the time of the most recent inspection, until the accident.
The recorded weather at an airport located about 15 miles southwest of the accident site, at 1758, included wind from 250 degrees at 7 knots, sky clear, and visibility 9 miles.
NTSB Identification: ERA13LA329
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 17, 2013 in Fowler, NY
Aircraft: KRIPS JACK E JR KOLB MK III, registration: N175TS
Injuries: 1 Serious.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 17, 2013, about 1730 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Kolb MK III amphibian airplane, N175TS, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged while landing on Sylvia Lake, Fowler, New York. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that originated from Sylvia Lake about 1720.
The pilot was initially unable to provide a statement due to his injuries. A witness, who was standing on the shore of the lake, reported that the airplane was performing takeoffs and landings on the lake. During short final approach to the lake, as the airplane was nearing the southern shore, the nose lowered and the airplane impacted the water.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage.
A plane crash in Sylvia Lake in the St. Lawrence County town of Fowler left one man injured.
According to 7 News reporter John Friot, the man was rescued and brought to shore by boat.
The pilot, identified as Larry Kraker, 64, of Florida, was airlifted to a Syracuse Hospital.
He was a summer resident with a cottage on Sylvia Lake.
The plane is said to be a two-seat Ultralight pontoon aircraft.
Officials said the plane landed on the lake, took off and then crashed.
A witness reported seeing the plane crash into the water at around 1:30 p.m.
"The plane was just hovering in mid-air," witness Calaeb Hance said,
"We couldn't really hear the engine and all of a sudden his nose just dived right down and hit the . . . it was only 10, 20 feet off that dock over there," he said, pointing.
"He was in the cockpit," said another witness, Wyatt Porter. "We had to rip the front off it."
http://www.wwnytv.com
BALMAT — A man injured when his seaplane crashed in Sylvia Lake on Wednesday afternoon was flown to Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, in serious condition.
The pilot was Larry Kraker, 64, Sylvia Lake, said W. Joseph Lacks, St. Lawrence County fire investigator and a Gouverneur firefighter.
Mr. Lacks said the cause of the crash hasn’t been determined.
“He was flying around the lake and crashed in the water close to the shore,” Mr. Lacks said.
Mr. Kraker was flying alone at the time of the crash. Mr. Lacks said there were campers nearby who pulled him out of the partially submerged plane.
“They kept him above water with life jackets until a pontoon boat and myself arrived,” Mr. Lacks said. “We got him in the boat and to the pumphouse on Pumphouse Road.”
Calaeb R. Hance, 15, Gouverneur, and Wyatt R. Porter, 14, were on a water scooter when they looked up and noticed that the ultralight plane’s engine had failed.
“We saw him hovering and we heard the engine stop,” Calaeb said. “He hovered for 10 seconds and then the plane dove in head first.”
The plane landed in a swampy area that residents call “the inlet,” on the south end of the lake.
“I floored the Jet-Ski and we were the first there,” said Wyatt, whose father and uncle own camps on the lake. The plane was pulled out of the water onto the uncle’s property.
“We had to lift the wing up and were trying to get his head above water,” Wyatt said. “We didn’t know if we were supposed to move him.”
State police Sgt. Eric R. Hadlock said the accident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration and investigators will evaluate the wreckage to decipher the cause of the crash.
“When they brought him to shore he was alert and conscious,” Sgt. Hadlock said. “We pulled the plane out of the inlet and at the recommendation of the DEC wanted to do so as quickly as possible to limit contamination.”
State Department of Environmental Conservation personnel were on the scene cleaning up what fuel was spilled from the accident into the lake using contamination-absorbing pads.
DEC Officer Scott W. Atwood said only a small amount of gas leaked into the lake.
“Two or three gallons of fuel might have leaked out,” Mr. Atwood said. “It could have been worse. The gas tanks were intact except for a small hole.”
