What happened
The pilot landed a floatplane on the Kustatan River for fishing purposes. When preparing to depart, he selected a takeoff area that required negotiating a turn while on the step of the water. He reported encountering a headwind of 10 to 12 knots initially, which shifted to a quartering headwind as he approached the lift-off point. However, trees located near the takeoff site blocked the wind, creating a virtually no-wind condition at the critical moment. The pilot did not have sufficient airspeed when the aircraft lifted off. Shortly after becoming airborne, the aircraft stalled and settled back to the surface, nosing over before coming to rest next to a sand bar. The pilot did not possess a sea plane rating.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to this accident were the pilot's lack of a sea plane rating and his failure to account for the wind shadow created by nearby trees, which resulted in an inadequate airspeed during takeoff.