What happened
The pilot reported that during the final phase of a landing approach, visibility was significantly compromised by intense glare reflecting off the water surface and oil spray coating the windscreen. As the seaplane made contact with the water, it immediately rolled over. The pilot was uncertain whether the incident resulted from dragging a float tip into the water or striking an unseen object obscured by the sun's reflection.
The investigation
A postaccident inspection conducted by an FAA inspector revealed damage to the bottom of the right float. This damage was consistent with the possibility that the float impacted an object in the water during the accident sequence.