Incident Overview
At 2040 eastern daylight time, a floatplane impacted a microwave tower while maneuvering approximately one-quarter mile from the lake where it routinely landed. Official sunset occurred at 2030, with the sun's azimuth measured at 283 degrees.
Pilot Information
The pilot was documented with defective distant vision in the right eye, 20/60 uncorrectable.
Witness Account
A witness reported seeing the aircraft circle back toward the pilot's house, a maneuver they had observed many times before. On this occasion, the witness noted the airplane was flying much lower and closer to the trees than usual. The witness further stated that the pilot appeared to circle again, this time with the engine revved considerably higher, and again the flight was uncharacteristically low. The witness wondered whether it was the same pilot because they had never seen such flying. Shortly after entering the house, the witness heard a sound like a rifle blast.
Wreckage and Examination
The left pontoon was found approximately 46 feet from the base of the tower. It exhibited cable scratching, crushing, and bending of its main strut. The main wreckage came to rest about 120 feet from the base of the tower. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no pre-impact anomalies. The propeller displayed chordwise scratching, leading edge gouging, S-bending, and blade tip curl. The tower's side lights were observed operating after the impact.
Findings
The accident occurred during low-altitude maneuvering in the vicinity of a lake. No pre-existing mechanical issues were identified with the aircraft.