- Date
- October 15, 2022, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Isabel, WA · Lake
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N129KBProgressive Aerodyne SeaRey
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA SEA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221015016149A
- Case key
- 106160
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 loss of airplane control after an encounter with windshear during takeoff which, resulted in a hard water landing.
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 of the amphibious airplane reported that, during the tailwind departure from the mountain lake, the airplane was about 40 ft above water level, at an airspeed of 57 miles per hour (mph), when the airplane encountered windshear. The airspeed decreased suddenly by 10-15 mph and the airplane entered a 600 foot per minute descent rate that the airplane was unable to out climb with takeoff power. The airplane subsequently collided hard with the water and bounced before coming to rest. The wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N129KB
- Reported as
- Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1DK287C
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 151
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special); None
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 12, 2022 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 74S · Anacortes, WA
- Destination
- Lake · Gold Bar, WA
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Commercial, Private, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- August 12, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,277 total · 34 in this make and model · 523 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KPAE, 28 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPAE 151853Z 36006KT 2SM FU OVC035 17/09 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP163 T01670094=
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 30, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 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.