Incident Overview
A commercial pilot attempted to remove frozen contamination from the wings of a float-equipped airplane prior to departure. Despite these efforts, some contamination remained on the wings. During the takeoff run on a lake, the airplane failed to become airborne before reaching the end of the water. The airplane then slid along a gravel spillway for several hundred feet before nosing over.
Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings, empennage, and fuselage as a result of the accident.
Pilot Statement
The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot noted that the accident might have been avoided if all frozen contamination had been removed from the wings, or if the departure had been delayed until temperatures were above freezing.