Incident Overview
A local scenic flight departed from a lake in a southeasterly direction. The wind was reported at 8 knots from the south/southeast. Shortly after becoming airborne to approximately 100 feet above ground level, the pilot observed that the airplane's airspeed was not increasing as expected, and the airplane was not climbing.
Pilot Actions
In an attempt to increase airspeed and ultimately gain altitude, the pilot lowered the nose, but the airspeed did not increase. Due to the terrain ahead of the airplane, the pilot attempted a landing on the remaining lake area. During the attempted landing, the airplane's floats contacted terrain located between the main lake and a bay, causing the airplane to nose over.
Postaccident Examination
Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. No anomalies were found with the airframe or engine.
Pilot's Comments
The pilot estimated that the weight and balance of the airplane was at the gross weight limitation. The pilot reported that safety margins could have been increased by using all available back-taxi distance and more conservative abort points.