Accident Overview
On December 17, 2021, at 1224 eastern standard time, a Lake LA-250 amphibious airplane, registration N1402C, was destroyed when it impacted Lake Arietta in Auburndale, Florida. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Flight Path and Witness Accounts
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ADS-B tracking data, the airplane departed Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven, Florida, at about 1130. It flew south, then turned north for about 25 miles before heading southwest toward Lake Arietta. Over the center of the lake on a southbound heading, the airplane was at about 825 ft above mean sea level (msl) with a groundspeed of 92–96 knots. The track turned slightly west before altitude sharply decreased. The last data showed the airplane at 450 ft msl, groundspeed 105 knots, descending at 2,500–3,500 ft per minute, near the southern end of the lake, about 0.1 mile northeast of the accident site.
A witness on the southwest shore, about 0.1 mile abeam the accident site, reported the airplane flying toward him at a “fairly low altitude” with the engine making a “sputtering noise.” No smoke, flames, or other distress signs were seen. The airplane descended at a steep angle and impacted the lake in a nose-down attitude. After impact, the airplane “came apart and there was an immediate, explosive ball of flames and smoke.” Another witness saw the airplane low over the lake and heard the engine sounding as if it was “struggling to develop full power.” He then observed the airplane in a climbing right turn before losing sight below a tree line.
Wreckage and Post-Impact Evidence
During recovery, bird feathers, identified as from a turkey vulture, were found wrapped around the fuel filler cap inside the damaged and breached right wing fuel tank. The carcass of a turkey vulture was floating on the lake surface in the debris field. The fuselage forward of the wing was significantly fragmented. The entire leading edge of the wing and forward edges of both sponsons exhibited crush damage. Soot was present near the wing roots and both sides of the empennage, which was separated just aft of the wing trailing edge but largely intact. No windscreen or side window panels or fragments were recovered.
Examination Findings
Examination of the airframe revealed no pre-impact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the center section to the ailerons, elevator, and rudder, including trim tabs; all fractures were overload-type. The engine showed no pre-impact anomalies. Two of three propeller blades had leading edge damage and gouging near the tips; one had chordwise scratch marks, the other a trailing edge “S” bend. The crankshaft rotated by hand with continuity confirmed. The engine-driven fuel pump was impact damaged but produced pressure when operated manually. No obstructions were found in the fuel servo screen, flow divider, or fuel injector nozzles. Ignition leads were intact; the right magneto produced spark on all towers, and the left magneto (electronic) was not tested. Spark plug electrodes appeared worn normal per the Champion check-a-plug chart.
Toxicology
The Office of the Medical Examiner, Winter Haven, Florida, performed an autopsy on the pilot, indicating the cause of death as multiple blunt force traumatic injuries. Toxicology testing detected carvedilol and valsartan in the pilot's liver and blood. Both are antihypertensive medications acceptable for FAA medical certification.