Incident Overview
A private certificated pilot was departing a small lake in Alaska at the conclusion of a deer hunting trip. The pilot was flying a float-equipped airplane. An Alaska State Trooper who was also a pilot observed the event while conducting an aerial game patrol.
Witness Account
The trooper saw the accident airplane taxiing in a southwest direction from the northeast shoreline of the lake. The lake has an hourglass shape, with a narrow portion located about one-third of the way from the southwest end. The water at the narrowest point was shallow. The wind was blowing from the northeast at about 5 to 10 knots, and waves of 4 to 5 inches were building against the southwestern shore.
The trooper expected the airplane to taxi to the southwest and then depart toward the northeast. However, the airplane did not become airborne. The trooper returned to the area and found the airplane resting against the southwest shore, having collided with a small bluff along the shore.
Response and Examination
The lake was too small for the trooper's airplane to land. Search and rescue personnel responded in a helicopter. The lake was measured with GPS equipment and found to be 760 feet long.
An on-scene examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact malfunction.