What happened
A commercial certificated pilot was conducting a nonscheduled air taxi flight to retrieve moose meat and antlers from a lake. The pilot was accompanied by a non-revenue passenger. The lake, which is approximately 1,9 enough feet long and 800 feet wide, is oriented east/west. The cargo had been left at the site the previous day when the pilot had transported hunting clients to the location.
During the departure from the lake toward the west, the float-equipped airplane lifted off approximately 300 feet before reaching the end of the lake. After climbing to an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground, the aircraft encountered a downdraft originating from hills or mountains located to the south of the accident site.
Despite the engine being at full power, the airplane descended into soft, marshy terrain. The aircraft nosed over approximately 200 to 300 yards beyond the western end of the lake. The pilot was not injured. The impact resulted in damage to the propeller, the right wing, and the left wing spar.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions included broken clouds at 2,500 feet, visibility of 25 miles, and a temperature of 50 degrees F. Winds were from the south at 8 knots with no precipitation and light turbulence.