What happened
The pilot was attempting to land the seaplane in a harbor, specifically targeting an area between two distinct gust areas visible as disruptions on the water's surface. Upon touching down on the water, the pilot reduced power to idle.
During the landing sequence, the aircraft rolled to the right, causing the right wingtip to drag across the water and resulting in a nose-over. While the pilot believed the right side initiated the roll, a witness observing from an adjacent dock reported seeing the left float and left wing strike the water first.
Findings
The investigation noted a discrepancy between the pilot's landing technique and the manufacturer's instructions. The pilot stated she had been trained by her instructor to maintain a flat nose pitch attitude during landing to prevent the floats from being "sucked in." However, the aircraft manual specifies that the aircraft should be landed with a slightly tail-low attitude.