Accident Summary
On April 22, 2009, about 1540 central daylight time, a Salvatore Capra Aventura II homebuilt amphibious airplane, registration N912SC, was substantially damaged following impact with trees shortly after taking off from Bayou Des Allemands in Des Allemands, Louisiana. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Witness Report
A witness, who was also a pilot, observed the airplane flying back and forth along the bayou for approximately one hour before it landed on the water. The witness stated it appeared the pilot then attempted to taxi the airplane to a nearby pier but had difficulty due to high winds, which caused the airplane to weathervane into the wind. The winds were described as 10 to 20 miles per hour and gusty from the southwest. After ten to fifteen minutes, the pilot took off to the south. After reaching about 100 feet, the airplane initiated a level, left, downwind turn to the east with 20 to 30 degrees of bank. The airplane then began to descend, maintaining the same bank and attitude until it struck a tree and impacted the ground. The witness described the area where the airplane took off as a bay lined by trees that provided a wind break, which ended at the point where the pilot began the downwind turn. The witness noted that the engine was running normally before the accident.
Weather Information
Winds recorded at New Orleans (MSY), located 17 miles northeast of Des Allemands, at 1553 were from 220 degrees at 12 knots. Winds at Houma, Louisiana (HUM), 23 miles southwest of Des Allemands, at 1550 were from 220 degrees at six knots.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for single-engine land airplanes. He was not seaplane rated. His last third-class medical examination occurred on April 3, 2007. According to the pilot’s logbook, he had logged 946 total hours and single-engine land time as of the last entry on June 30, 2007. His last biannual flight review was on February 5, 2006. The pilot had purchased the airplane on February 17, 2009. The airplane maintenance records were not located during the investigation.
Aircraft Damage
Examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right wings were crumpled and deformed. The forward one-third of the fuselage, including the cockpit, was crumpled. Both the left and right horizontal stabilizers exhibited leading-edge impact marks. One propeller blade had separated from the engine and showed chord-wise scratches on the leading edge.