What happened
On August 2, 2010, at 1115 EDT, an experimental amateur-built Duflo Sea Rey, registration N914SR, crashed into Lake Jessie near Winter Haven, Florida. The aircraft was performing a personal flight in visual meteorological conditions with 10 miles of visibility. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, which originated from Jack Brown's Seaplane Base (F57).
Witnesses observed the aircraft performing a very slow climb out from the lake with a high angle of attack. After barely clearing trees at the edge of the lake, the aircraft entered a left climbing turn. One witness, who was conducting an instructional flight nearby, observed the aircraft on the base leg of the traffic pattern at approximately 400 feet above the ground. The aircraft's landing gear was not extended, and the nose was pitched at an extremely high angle. The aircraft then stalled, entered a left spin, and completed approximately one full rotation before impacting the water in a 90-degree nose-down attitude.
The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury due to blunt impact to the head and torso.