- Date
- October 12, 2018, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pocono Summit, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N46SWRIchard Silva Seawind
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181012019809A
- Case key
- 98484
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 attempt to take off from a lake in high crosswind conditions, which resulted in the right wing lifting, the left wing impacting the water, and the airplane bouncing and then impacting the water hard.
Findings · 7
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 attempted to take off from a lake with a 20- to 30-knot crosswind. A video of the takeoff showed that, as the right wing lifted, the left wingtip contacted the water. Subsequently, the seaplane bounced and impacted the water hard with the nose oriented to the left. The pilot was able to correct the course heading and continued to water taxi without further incident. The pilot added that he should not have departed in high crosswind conditions and admitted to pilot error. The seaplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who conducted a postaccident examination of the seaplane reported that he established flight control continuity and that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the seaplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The airline transport pilot of the amphibious airplane reported that he attempted to takeoff from a lake with a 20 to 30 knot crosswind. A video of the takeoff showed that as the right-wing lifted, the left-wing tip contacted the water; subsequently, the airplane bounced, touched down again hard with the nose oriented to the left. The pilot was able to correct course heading and continued to water taxi without further incident. The pilot added that he should not have departed in high crosswind conditions and admitted to pilot error. The seaplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46SW
- Reported as
- RIchard Silva Seawind (3000)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 003
- Built
- 1993
- Airframe hours
- 279
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIE5, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 5, 2018
- Departed
- Pocono Summit, PA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- 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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 20,269 total · 92 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KMPO, 2 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 31, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 433 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.