19980909022869A

(.19) On September 9, 1998, at 0750 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Piper PA-11 airplane sustained substantial damage when it struck terrain during the takeoff run from honeybee lake, two miles south of Willow, Alaska. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. The flight was operated by kurt stenehjen of Willow. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The pilot told two FAA inspectors who interviewed him at the accident site on September 9, that during step taxi for takeoff, while heading into the sun, the airplane struck a point of land extending into the lake, and received damage to the floats and wing lift struts. (.4) the seaplane struck a point of land during step taxi for takeoff. The pilot told the NTSB investigator-in-charge that he was taking off into the sun, and was partially blinded. He said he misjudged his location in the lake, and did not see the point of land in his takeoff path.(-23) during step taxi on departure from honey bee lake, the pilot was temporarily blinded by the sun and failed to avoid a known shallow obstruction (-23) extending from a point of land. When the right float struck the obstruction, the right float struts and the right wing struts buckled and dropped the right wing into the water.