Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA10LA391
TURCK G L/DUFLO J T SEA REY — Winter Haven, FL
| Date | August 2, 2010 |
| Location | Winter Haven, FL |
| Aircraft | TURCK G L/DUFLO J T SEA REY (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Dawn · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 64 |
| Pilot total time | 3,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 0 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Training-(general)-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
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.