What happened
The pilot of a float-equipped airplane reported that the accident sequence began after the aircraft touched down on the water surface within a harbor environment. Upon landing, the airplane was subjected to a quartering tailwind condition. This wind pattern exerted sufficient aerodynamic force to lift the left wing of the aircraft upward.
As the left wing rose, the aircraft lost lateral stability and subsequently nosed over forward into the water. Following the initial impact, the floatplane drifted with the current or wind until it made contact with rocks located near the shoreline or harbor edge. This secondary impact resulted in damage to both wings of the airplane.
The investigation
Post-acc Examination of the aircraft revealed that there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The pilot confirmed that the airframe was operating normally before the landing attempt, indicating that the nosing over was caused by environmental factors rather than equipment failure.