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A single engine amphibian pilot lifted off of the river and flew under a bridge because the aircraft could not attain enough altitude to climb over the bridge.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 840872 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200906 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff |
| Route In Use | VFR Route |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100 Flight Crew Total 8300 Flight Crew Type 1100 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural FAR Deviation - Procedural Weight And Balance Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
This was a part 135 passenger flight out of the river. Passenger loaded seaplane base. I loaded 8 passengers; had a co-pilot and about 750 pounds of fuel. We were under maximum gross weight for a seaplane. The wind was calm on the river at the time. This was my 1st trip with passengers. All other training flights were with an empty aircraft. I feel that I should have had a check airman with me on my first heavy departure out of the river. When this aircraft is light it comes out of the river easily; but when heavy it performs like a pig! After one aborted attempt; I back taxied further up the river and attempted to takeoff again. This time I got the aircraft airborne; but not with enough time to safely climb over the bridge; so I chose to go under the bridge. In my eyes this was the safest choice; as there were no boats under it; no cables hanging and it would provide a path out of the river. In ground school this was discussed; better to go under than to hit the bridge. I agree! I feel that with a supervised heavy load out of the river; this could have been avoided.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A single engine amphibian pilot lifted off of the river and flew under a bridge because the aircraft could not attain enough altitude to climb over the bridge.
Narrative: This was a Part 135 passenger flight out of the River. Passenger loaded seaplane base. I loaded 8 passengers; had a co-pilot and about 750 LBS of fuel. We were under maximum gross weight for a seaplane. The wind was calm on the river at the time. This was my 1st trip with passengers. All other training flights were with an empty aircraft. I feel that I should have had a check airman with me on my first heavy departure out of the river. When this aircraft is light it comes out of the river easily; but when heavy it performs like a pig! After one aborted attempt; I back taxied further up the river and attempted to takeoff again. This time I got the aircraft airborne; but not with enough time to safely climb over the bridge; so I chose to go under the bridge. In my eyes this was the safest choice; as there were no boats under it; no cables hanging and it would provide a path out of the river. In ground school this was discussed; better to go under than to hit the bridge. I agree! I feel that with a supervised heavy load out of the river; this could have been avoided.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.