PLT OF EXPERIMENTAL SEARAY AMPHIBIAN ACFT HAS HULL GIVE WAY ON WATER LNDG. PLT AND PAX BOTH EVACED SAFELY.

Narrative

I WAS PILOTING MY EXPERIMENTAL AMPHIBIAN ACFT AND PERFORMING TOUCH-AND-GOES ON SPRING LAKE IN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS; FL. AFTER EXECUTING A NORMAL APCH IN THE APPROPRIATE CONFIGN AND AT THE APPROPRIATE AIRSPDS; I TOUCHED DOWN ON THE WATER IN A NORMAL ATTITUDE WHEN THE FIBERGLAS HULL GAVE WAY AND I BEGAN TAKING ON WATER. MY PAX AND I EVACED THE ACFT WITHOUT INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE ACFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE HULL WAS EITHER FATIGUED OR DEFECTIVE. THE FACTORY INFORMS ME THAT THERE IS A NEWER HULL THAT IS ALSO MUCH STRONGER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THE ACFT WAS A SEARAY AMPHIBIAN. THE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED UNTIL THE EFFORT TO RETRIEVE THE ACFT. THE SIGHTSEERS IN THEIR BOATS CREATED SUCH WAVE ACTIVITY THAT THE WING WAS DAMAGED AND WILL BE VERY TIME CONSUMING TO REPAIR. INSTS THAT GOT WET WERE DAMAGED AND THE HULL ITSELF. RPTR FEELS THE COMPANY KNOWS THE HULL IS NOT A GOOD DESIGN SINCE THEY HAVE CHANGED THE DESIGN. IT IS STRENGTHENED AND UPGRADED ON NEW MODELS. COMPANY OF COURSE DENIES IT IS A DESIGN PROB.