Weston SEA-ERA N226SE

Summary

On 4 March 2013 at about 22:00 local time, a Weston SEA-ERA registered N226SE, operated by Weston Paul H, was involved in an accident near Bellevue, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 March 2013 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bellevue, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.5753, -122.0922

Aircraft

Weston SEA-ERA

Registration

N226SE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Weston Paul H

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bellevue → Bellevue

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13CA140

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control during takeoff on choppy water conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during takeoff from a lake, the airplane started to bounce from wave to wave, and it eventually porpoised. When the pilot reduced power to abort the takeoff, the left wingtip ski struck a wave, and the airplane yawed to the left. The right wing then struck the water, and the airplane abruptly stopped. The fuselage and wing spars were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that the wind on the lake at the time of the accident was about 18 knots and that the waves were about 12 to 15 inches high. The pilot reported that the highest waves he had previously encountered in this airplane were 10 to 12 inches high. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.