Accident Overview
On September 4, 2014, about 1105 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built amphibious McMurray Searey seaplane, registration N8768B, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a landing on Stillwater Reservoir, located in Webb, New York. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight, which originated from Boonville Airport, Boonville, New York. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the airplane was purchased by the pilot through a corporation on March 3, 2014. It was equipped with a Rotax 912 ULS, 100-horsepower engine and had originally been issued an airworthiness certificate on July 1, 1997. The pilot, aged 77, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, single-engine sea, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and instrument airplane. On his most recent FAA second-class medical certificate application, dated July 3, 2014, the pilot reported 3,100 hours of total flight experience, with 48 hours flown in the previous 6 months.
Witness and Circumstances
An FAA inspector reported that the pilot had been practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings on the reservoir. A witness observed the airplane depart from the water and fly overhead before losing sight of it behind trees. The witness stated that the airplane sounded as if it was approaching for another landing, and she heard a series of engine "sputters and roars" followed by silence. She did not associate the sounds with an accident. The airplane was subsequently located nose-down, submerged in the water, with the pilot found in the interior of the empennage. The canopy was completely fractured, and the airframe around the forward portion of the canopy was substantially damaged.
Examination Findings
Examination of the airframe and engine, including confirmation of flight control continuity to all control surfaces and a successful postaccident engine operational test run by an FAA inspector, did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was equipped with lap belts but was not equipped with shoulder harnesses.
Pilot Medical and Toxicological Information
An autopsy performed by the Herkimer County Coroner's Office determined the cause of death to be warm water drowning, with the manner of death classified as accident. The autopsy noted a heart weight of 450 grams, with the left ventricle described as normal sized but hypertrophied. The left ventricle measured 2.0 centimeters thick, and the right ventricle measured 0.6 centimeters thick. Coronary artery disease was identified with 60 percent stenosis in both the left main and left anterior descending arteries and 20 percent stenosis in the right and circumflex coronary arteries. The heart muscle was free of scar or other focal findings. Toxicological testing by the FAA Bioaeronautical Science Research Laboratory identified enalapril in urine but not in blood. No other tested-for substances were found. During his most recent FAA medical examination, the pilot reported a diagnosis of hypertension and the use of omeprazole and enalapril.
Maintenance and Logbook Details
The airframe logbooks were not recovered, and the airplane's last condition inspection could not be verified; however, the airplane had been issued a new FAA Airworthiness Certificate on August 5, 2013, which would have required a condition inspection. Maintenance information provided by the pilot's family indicated that at the time of the accident, the airplane had been operated for about 300 total hours. The last engine maintenance was an oil and filter change and an air filter change, performed on November 20, 2013, about 65 hours prior to the accident.
Weather
A weather observation taken at an airport located about 50 miles south-southwest of the accident site at 1053 reported winds from 140 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 23 degrees Celsius, dew point 18 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.15 inches of mercury.