20040715020149I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr KITFOX IV · Serpent Lake, MN · July 15, 2004

Date: July 15, 2004 · 09:08 local
Place: Serpent Lake, MN
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N1664K
Reported as: Amtr Kitfoxiv
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX912
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 800 total15 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days

N1664KRegistered now · Hakes James Welton KITFOX IVS/N 1664 · Built 1996 Airframe modelHakes James Welton KITFOX IV Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) During water landing on Serpent Lake near crosby, Minnesota, N1664K was decelerating in middle of lake when pilot heard and felt a thump. Shortly after, aircraft began to pull hard right which could not counter with opposite rudder input. Aircraft slowly nosed over and sank in 54 feet of water. Inspection of right float on starboard frontside revealed impact site with gelcoat missing from interior and exterior of fiberglass matting. Matting at impact site no longer bonded by resin material allowing water to easily pass into fiberglass float interior. A damaged wakeboard (waterski) was found in general area following day.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING WATER LANDING ON SERPENT LAKE NEAR CROSBY, MINNESOTA, N1664K WAS DECELERATING IN MIDDLE OF LAKE WHEN PILOT HEARD AND FELT A THUMP. SHORTLY AFTER, AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO PULL HARD RIGHT WHICH COULD NOT COUNTER WITH OPPOSITE RUDDER INPUT. AIRCRAFT SLOWLY NOSED OVER AND SANK IN 54 FEET OF WATER. INSPECTION OF RIGHT FLOAT ON STARBOARD FRONTSIDE REVEALED IMPACT SITE WITH GELCOAT MISSING FROM INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF FIBERGLASS MATTING. MATTING AT IMPACT SITE NO LONGER BONDED BY RESIN MATERIAL ALLOWING WATER TO EASILY PASS INTO FIBERGLASS FLOAT INTERIOR. A DAMAGED WAKEBOARD (WATERSKI) WAS FOUND IN GENERAL AREA FOLLOWING DAY.