History of Flight
On May 24, 2014, at about 1650 Pacific daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Searey LSX amphibious airplane, registration N249PW, sustained substantial damage during takeoff at Banks Lake, approximately 5 miles southwest of Electric City, Washington. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules personal cross-country flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the solo pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane was departing Banks Lake bound for Lake Washington, near Seattle.
Witnesses later reported that the airplane had arrived at Banks Lake on May 22. After landing, the pilot lowered the land wheels to taxi onto a beach. While approaching the beach, the left main landing gear wheel struck a submerged berm, damaging the landing gear and its supporting structure. The pilot, authorized to perform maintenance on the airplane, spent several days making temporary repairs, including tying the damaged left landing gear leg to the left wing lift strut and repairing a leaking through hull boot with tape.
On May 26, a witness reported observing the airplane attempt takeoff from his boat. He stated that the airplane began a high-speed run, then throttled back and turned toward the beach, then abruptly turned 180 degrees and started another high-speed run. The water was choppy with numerous boat wakes. The airplane reached an estimated speed of 40-50 miles per hour when it encountered a boat wake, bounced 4-5 feet into the air, and then nosed down into the lake. The airplane came to an abrupt stop with a 20-30 foot high splash. Witnesses approached; the airplane's high wings were level with the water, and the pylon-mounted engine was still running. Swimmers attempted to recover the pilot from the submerged cabin.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 60, held a Private Pilot Certificate with ratings for Airplane Single Engine Land, Airplane Single Engine Sea, Instrument Airplane, and Repairman Experimental Aircraft Builder. No personal flight logbooks were discovered. His most recent FAA medical examination, dated July 18, 2013, reported 861.3 total flight hours, with 15.1 hours in the previous 6 months. He was issued a Class 3 Limited Medical Certificate requiring corrective lenses.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was an experimental amateur-built, tailwheel-equipped, high-wing, amphibious Searey LSX with a full flotation hull and retractable main landing gear. It was powered by an aft-facing, pylon-mounted Rotax 914 series engine driving a three-bladed composite pusher propeller. No airframe or engine logbooks were discovered.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Only a section of the composite hull bottom, approximately 6 feet long and 4 feet wide, was recovered from the lake. It had separated along the bottom-to-side joint. Witness photographs showed the airplane upright after impact, with wings on the water surface and the cabin submerged. The engine appeared intact on its pylon and was still running as boats approached. The elevator, vertical stabilizer, and rudder appeared intact. Swimmers cut the pilot free from his harness; he was brought to the surface and taken to a boat ramp where medical help awaited. The airplane subsequently sank in about 50 feet of water and was not recovered.
Communications
A pilot friend and a family member observed the takeoff from a beach and communicated with the pilot via handheld aviation radio. Their last transmission informed him that the airplane looked lower in the water than usual and requested him to return to the beach. The airplane turned toward the beach and appeared to return at a normal water taxi speed, but then abruptly turned away, added takeoff power, and made the final takeoff attempt without further radio communication.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination determined the cause of death as fresh water drowning, with a significant finding of blunt force head trauma; the manner of death was accident. Toxicology testing performed on July 1, 2014, found no evidence of drugs or other abnormalities.