NTSB Factual Report

On April 22, 2009, about 1540 central daylight time, a Salvatore Capra Aventura II homebuilt amphibious airplane, N912SC, was substantially damaged following impact with trees shortly after taking off from Bayou Des Allemands, Des Allemands, Louisiana. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

A witness, who was a pilot, observed the airplane flying back and forth along the bayou for about one hour before it landed on the water. He said it appeared the pilot then attempted to taxi the airplane to a nearby pier, but was having difficulty due to high winds causing the airplane to weathervane into the wind. The winds were described as 10 to 20 miles per hour and gusty from the southwest. After ten to fifteen minutes the pilot then took off to the south. After reaching about 100 feet the airplane started a level, left, downwind turn to the east in 20 to 30 degrees of bank. The airplane then began to descend, maintaining the same bank and attitude until it hit a tree and impacted the ground. The witness described the area where the airplane took off from as being a bay lined by trees, which provided a wind break, until the area where the pilot started the downwind turn. At that point the trees ended. The witness described the engine running normally before the accident.

Winds at New Orleans (MSY), 17 miles northeast of Des Allemands, at 1553 were from 220 degrees at 12 knots. Winds at Houma, LA (HUM), 23 miles southwest of Des Allemands, at 1550 were from 220 degrees at six knots.

The pilot, age 64, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for single engine land airplane. His last third class medical examination occurred on April 3, 2007. He was not seaplane rated. According to the pilot’s logbook, he had logged 946 total hours and single engine land time as of the last entry on June 30, 2007. According to the pilot’s logbook, his last biannual flight review was on February 5, 2006. The pilot had purchased the airplane on February 17, 2009. The airplane maintenance records were not located during the investigation.

Examination of the airplane showed the left and right wings were crumpled and deformed. The forward one third of the fuselage, including the cockpit, was crumpled. Both the left and right horizontal stabilizers showed leading edge impact marks. One propeller blade had separated from the engine and had chord wise scratches on the leading edge.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s failure to achieve adequate altitude and airspeed before beginning a downwind turn after takeoff.