- Date
- June 6, 2018, 19:00 local (Jun 7, 2018, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Malone, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N100TNDobbs George Coot
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180606007209A
- Case key
- 97418
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
The pilot’s improper decision to take off with a known structural issue, which resulted in hull damage.
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
According to the pilot in the experimental amateur-built amphibious airplane, during takeoff from a lake, the airplane bounced twice, but on the third bounce, the hull "gave way." Water entered the airplane, and the pilot exited through the canopy. The pilot reported that the hull had been repaired previously, but it still had "some leakage" after the repair. Substantial damage was sustained to the forward left side of the hull where the sponson was attached. Photographs provided by the Federal Aviation Administration showed long-term water damage to the plywood and fiberglass hull structure.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot in the experimental amateur-built amphibious airplane, during takeoff on a lake the airplane bounced twice, but on the third bounce the hull "gave way." The airplane took on water and the pilot exited through the canopy. The hull failure occurred to the front left side where the sponson was attached. The pilot reported that the hull had been repaired previously, but it still had "some leakage" after the repair. Substantial damage was sustained to the forward left side of the hull. Photographs provided by the FAA showed long-term water damage to the plywood and fiberglass hull structure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N100TN
- Reported as
- Dobbs George Coot (A)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- SS22
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 538
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 25, 2017
- Departed
- Malone, WI
- Destination
- Cheboygan, MI
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- March 23, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 905.9 total · 12.8 in this make and model · 905.9 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KFLD, 17 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 31, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 608 KB 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.