What happened
During a series of scheduled round-trip flights between Town and Cape Richards, including stops at Orpheus Island, an incident occurred involving an aircraft carrying passengers. Following the first leg of the day's operations, the pilot noted that water levels pumped from the floats appeared normal. On the third scheduled trip, the pilot picked up an additional passenger at Orpheus Island before loading six more people at Cape Richards.
A ground worker at the island observed that the aircraft's waterline appeared higher than usual. An investigation into the loading revealed that the aircraft was overweight and positioned near the rear center of gravity limit.
The pilot began taxiing at 16:13 hours with eight people on board. After an initial attempt to depart toward the northeast, the pilot returned to unload one passenger. A second taxiing period began at 16:34 hours with seven occupants. Following two more unsuccessful takeoff attempts, a final attempt was made. During this last departure, the pilot moved further out of the island's sheltered waters into an area characterized by an easterly wind of approximately 10 knots and a swell between 1 and 1.5 meters.
As the aircraft reached an indicated airspeed of 55 knots, the right float struck a wave, forcing the right wing upward. The pilot was unable to recover the left wing, which subsequently struck the water, resulting in a cartwheel motion.
Findings
- The pilot chose an inappropriate takeoff direction relative to the existing wind conditions.
- The takeoff procedure was continued into an area with unsuitable sea swell.