SEA00LA105

NTSB accident investigation · Schmidt SEA REY · Northport, WA · June 16, 2000

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 16, 2000, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
Place
Northport, WA
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N304WWSchmidt SEA REY
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report May 18, 2001
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20000616007109A
Case key
49450

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's loss of directional control due to his inadequate remedial action in correcting for engine torque during the aborted landing. Factors include trees near the area where the pilot was attempting to land.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

In flight collision with objectLanding - aborted
Remedial action - inadequatePilot in commandCause
Directional control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Object - tree(s)Factor

Analysis

During a go-around from a bounced glassy-water landing, the aircraft rolled to the left because of the force generated by the turbo-charged engine at full power. Although the pilot attempted to roll the aircraft back to a wings-level position, he collided with trees along the shoreline before he was able to stop the left turn that resulted from the torque-induced roll to the left.

Factual narrative

On June 16, 2000, approximately 1000 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Schmidt Sea Rey amphibious airplane, N304WW, collided with trees during a balked landing at Deep Lake, about eight miles southeast of Northport, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed a private airstrip near Northport, about 30 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. The ELT, which was activated by the impact, was turned off at the scene.

According to the pilot, he was trying to land on glassy water and bounced the aircraft off the surface of the lake two or three times. Because the landing was not going well, the pilot elected to do a go-around. During the go around, he added full power and the torque from the turbocharged engine began to roll the aircraft to the left. The pilot attempted to roll the aircraft back to a wings-level attitude, but it collided with trees along the shoreline before he could correct for the left turn that resulted from the torque-induced roll.

Aircraft

Registration
N304WW
Reported as
Schmidt SEA REY
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
1DK084
Airframe hours
67
Engine
Rotax 914F, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Stephen J. Schmidt
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Departed
NONE · Northport, WA
Destination
NONE

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
59
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
4,073 total · 67 in this make and model · 4,073 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
70 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.