Lakewood, WI, USA
N914JS
Swanson Aventura II
A witness said he saw the pilot make two attempts to take off from a lake. On the third attempt, the witness said the airplane pulled up sharply, leveled off momentarily , and then the left wing "dipped," and the airplane "dropped" and struck trees and then the ground. An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
On July 28, 2007, about 1247 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built amphibious Swanson Aventura II airplane, N914JS, sustained substantial damage on impact with trees and terrain near Lakewood, Wisconsin. The personal flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot sustained fatal injuries and the passenger received serious injuries. The flight was originating from Lake John, near Lakewood, Wisconsin, at the time of the accident. A witness reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector that he saw the airplane on the southwest side of the lake start a takeoff roll and abort its takeoff due to a boat. The airplane returned to its starting spot and started another takeoff roll. The airplane aborted this takeoff when it encountered the wake from the boat. The airplane maneuvered into a cove at the northeast end of the lake and started to take off from there. The available takeoff distance from that location was shorter. The witness indicated that the airplane pulled up sharply to clear the trees, leveled off briefly, the left wing "dipped," and the airplane "dropped." The airplane was found with its engine still running. At 1154, the recorded weather at the Ford Airport, near Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Michigan, was: Wind 250 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 28 degrees C; dew point 9 degrees C; altimeter 30.05 inches of mercury. FAA inspectors examined the wreckage on-scene. The examination revealed no pre-impact anomalies. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute prepared a Final Forensic Toxicology Accident Report. The report stated: 0.579 (ug/mL, ug/g) MIDAZOLAM detected in Liver MIDAZOLAM NOT detected in Blood 0.064 (ug/mL, ug/g) MIDAZOLAM detected in Kidney 0.04 (ug/mL, ug/g) MIDAZOLAM detected in Spleen NAPROXEN detected in Blood LIDOCAINE detected in Blood EPHEDRINE detected in Blood.
The pilot's excessive pull up, his not maintaining airspeed, and the inadvertent stall resulting in the loss of control. A factor contributing to the accident was the trees.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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