What happened
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of a floatplane observed that the aircraft was not climbing as expected. The pilot reported difficulty maintaining a comfortable airspeed necessary to raise the wheels on the floats. During the flight, the pilot became preoccupied with attempting to maintain an altitude of 300 feet AGL and a flying airspeed of 85 miles per hour.
While the aircraft indicated normal temperatures and pressures, the pilot noted vibrations that persisted until the propeller was reduced to 2,500 rpm and the manifold pressure was adjusted to 25 inches of mercury. The pilot successfully cleared the landing lane on the lake and reached the landing area. However, the pilot did not perform a before-landing checklist and failed to retract the landing gear. Upon contact with the water, the airplane nosed over.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft revealed that the wheels were fully extended on the floats at the time of the accident. A subsequent inspection of the engine and all other airplane systems showed no mechanical anomalies.