Incident Overview
An airline transport pilot was operating an amphibious airplane and attempted to take off from a lake. According to the pilot's report, the crosswind conditions were between 20 and 30 knots.
Sequence of Events
Video footage of the takeoff revealed that as the right wing lifted, the left wing tip made contact with the water. Subsequently, the airplane bounced and touched down hard with the nose oriented to the left. The pilot managed to correct the course heading and continued to water taxi without further incident.
Damage
The seaplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron.
Mechanical Status
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Pilot Remarks
The pilot added that he should not have departed in high crosswind conditions and admitted to pilot error. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.