- Date
- September 22, 2015, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pelican Lake, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N896CBBrunzlick Larry R Seawind 3000 Experim
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Milwaukee FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150922015829A
- Case key
- 92078
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Abnormal runway contact which precipitated a loss of directional control and impact with water.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was practicing landings on a lake in his experimental amateur-built amphibious airplane. During the accident landing, he reported that the airplane "skipped slightly about 2 feet off the water, I held attitude and let it come down again but I accidentally let the left wing tip sponson settle onto the water while still going at about 55 knots." The airplane started to turn to the left, the sponson dug in more, and he reported that he did not correct the situation quickly enough. The airplane turned 180 degrees before coming to rest. Once the airplane was towed to shore, substantial damage was noticed to both wing sponsons and the rudder. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was practicing landings on a lake in his experimental amateur-built amphibious airplane. During the accident landing, he reported that the airplane "skipped slightly about 2 feet off the water, I held attitude and let it come down again but I accidentally let the left wing tip sponson settle onto the water while still going at about 55 knots." The airplane started to turn to the left, the sponson dug in more, and he reported that he did not correct the situation quickly enough. The airplane turned 180 degrees before coming to rest. Once the airplane was towed to shore, substantial damage was noticed to both wing sponsons and the rudder. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N896CB
- Reported as
- Brunzlick Larry R Seawind 3000 Experim (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 093
- Built
- 2012
- Airframe hours
- 125
- Engine
- Barrett Precision Engines IO-540X, 291 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Brunzlick Larry R.
- Registered owner
- Brunzlick Larry R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 17, 2015
- Departed
- MDZ · Medford, WI
- Destination
- Pelican Lake, WI
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 30, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,601 total · 119 in this make and model · 2,361 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KRHI, 14 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 30, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.