Incident Details
On the day of the accident, the Piper PA-16, registration N5960H, had contacted air traffic control from a position 5 miles east of the airport, requesting landing clearance. The controller cleared the aircraft to enter a right base for the runway. Shortly thereafter, the pilot of the PA-16 called and stated that he was being pushed up and subsequently collided with another aircraft.
Investigation of the impact marks revealed that the left wing of the Piper PA-18, registration N87568, had struck the right float of the PA-16. At the time of the collision, both aircraft were on a westerly heading. The sun was 9.5 degrees above the horizon at an azimuth of 303.7 degrees true.
Aircraft Damage and Loss of Control
During the collision, the left wing struts of both airplanes failed. As a result, both aircraft descended out of control.
Toxicology Report
The toxicological sample from the pilot-in-command of the PA-16, N5960H, showed a blood alcohol level of 0.060 grams per deciliter and a urine alcohol level of 0.046 grams per deciliter.