# Accident 20140524008009A: Kenneth A Berger SEAREY LSX, Steamboat Rock, WA, May 24, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 24, 2014, 16:50 local time
- Place: Steamboat Rock, WA
- Airport: Steamboat Rock State Park
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.8728° N, 119.1169° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.8728&lon=-119.1169&mi=10
- Aircraft: N249PW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N249PW-2019-02-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Kenneth A Berger SEAREY LSX (registry code 05632Y2, https://openairdocs.org/model/kenneth-a-berger-searey-lsx) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 914 series (registry code 55575, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-914-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: KENNETH A BERGER SEAREY LSX
- Reported engine: ROTAX 914 (SERIES)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR14FA209](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA209) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140524008009A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE PILOT HAD ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE LEFT MAIN GEAR SEAL (WATER TO FUSALAGE) WITH EPOXY AND ELECTRICAL TAPE AFTER BEING DAMAGED DURING BEACHING. DURING THE ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF RUN THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE SITTING LOW IN THE WATER, THE TAKEOFF RUN APPEARED TO CONTINUE AND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A BOAT WAKE, THE AIRCRAFT SUBMARINED AND BROKE APART. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP UPRIGHT BUT SUBMERGED TO IT'S OVERWING CENTER ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT FRONT END WAS SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN FUSALAGE DURING THE IMPACT. THE PILOT WAS REMOVED FROM THE COCKPIT AREA BY BYSTANDERS AND PRONOUNCED DEAD BY EMT AT THE SHORE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR14FA209](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14FA209), May 24, 2014: Kenneth A Berger Searey LSX (N249PW), Electric City, WA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain pitch control during takeoff after encountering a boat wake, which resulted in the airplane bouncing, impacting the water’s surface, and subsequently becoming…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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