What happened
During operations in rough seas, the pilot attempted to take off three separate times, aborting each attempt because of the sea conditions. During these maneuvers, it was discovered that the left float of the aircraft was sinking. The cause was identified as several missing bilge plugs.
Upon realizing the situation, the pilot shut down the engine and attempted to mitigate the flooding by pumping out the float and plugging the holes with wadded paper. However, the aircraft began to list significantly. The pilot instructed the passengers to don their life vests, and the passengers exited the aircraft in an attempt to stop water from seeping into the right float.
Following the abandonment of the aircraft, the pilot disappeared. He was last observed holding onto his life vest and treading water. While the passengers were eventually rescued by a passing ship, the pilot is presumed drowned. His inflated life vest was later recovered from the scene.