Accident Overview
A Cessna U206F floatplane was involved in an accident after the pilot mismanaged the fuel supply during a takeoff from a pond. The aircraft had been transporting fishermen from a pond to a seaplane base on a lake, a flight of about five minutes. Due to weight concerns, the pilot carried limited fuel.
Sequence of Events
The pilot first flew a group of three fishermen to the seaplane base, then departed solo to pick up a second group. At departure, the aircraft had approximately 4 gallons of avgas in the left wing tank and 10 gallons in the right wing tank, with the fuel selector positioned to the left tank. After landing on the pond, the pilot forgot to move the fuel selector to the right tank. The last three fishermen boarded, along with one garbage bag filled with empty cans. The pilot conducted a step turn with 20 degrees of flaps selected and initiated a takeoff with the fuel selector still on the left tank.
About 200 feet above ground level, above all obstacles, the pilot reduced the throttle to 30 inches of manifold pressure. At that moment, the engine sputtered and lost all power. The pilot activated the electric fuel pump, positioned the fuel selector to the right tank, and initiated a right turn back toward the pond. As the airplane began to strike trees, the engine regained power, but the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest inverted.
Aftermath
Following the accident, the pilot stated that he mismanaged the fuel supply.