The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the Lake Winnebago seaplane crash in July that left two people dead.
Rough water conditions may have contributed to the crash, according to the report. There was nothing wrong with the engine or airframe that would have prevented normal operation of the plane, the NTSB said.
Personnel at the Vette/Blust Seaplane Base in Oshkosh apparently told the pilot they were concerned about rough water conditions in the afternoon, even taking the pilot out on the lake by boat to look at those conditions.
Swells were described as being 1 to 1.5 feet high at the time of the crash, the NTSB said.
As the harbor master towed the plane out into the bay prior to takeoff, the pilot repeatedly asked him if he could start the engines, the report said. The harbor master told the pilot to wait each time. Once the two ropes were disconnected, the pilot started the engine and the plane "went to full power within two seconds," according to the report.
Video of the takeoff showed the plane "porpoised" 2-3 times and the nose rose out of the water before the plane rolled to the left, the NTSB report said. The left wing then struck the water.
The plane then spun and the right wing was driven into the water, the report explained. The plane started to submerge and one passenger escaped. Two others had to pulled out by first responders, the report said.
The pilot, Ray Johnson of Marshall, Minnesota died early Monday morning said EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski.
Another victim, Diane Linker, 71, of Sauk Rapids, died from injuries shortly after the crash.
The three people were heading to Southwest Regional Airport in Marshall, Minnesota.
The NTSB will release a full accident report in about a year.
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