Narrative:

Water landing was completed on a charter flight with 3 passenger into lake union. Winds were out of the northwest at approximately 5. Landing was made to the southwest with a light crosswind. Boat traffic was heavy on the entire lake. I touched down in an area relatively free of obstacles. The only factor was a small sail boat on the left traveling away from me, parallel to my landing direction. After T/D the sail boat began merging to the right into my taxi path. I chose to pull the power off instead of attempting a step taxi turn, as I didn't believe there was enough room to avoid all obstacles at a high rate of speed. As the aircraft settled off the step I initiated a turn to the right to avoid the merging boat traffic. Centrifugal force along with a right crosswind caused the right wing to raise. The aircraft left wing impacted the water, causing the nose to pitch forward putting the lower section of the engine cowling into the water. The plane then came to rest upright, engine running and damage to the left wing. No injuries. Passenger were let off at the dock and picked up by another aircraft. My aircraft was taxied back to base. I was tired after having just returned from another flight just prior to this incident. This was a contributing factor to having slower reactions. I had no way of knowing the boat was about to change course, but since it did, my only option was turning into the wind (due to crosswind landing). Perhaps it could have been avoided by circling for boat traffic until an upwind landing could be made. This would have given me more positive ground maneuvering and slower water speed. Possibly had I observed more closely I might have seen that the sailboat had me in sight and was trying to make a turn instead of converging into my path. Lessons are to avoid crosswind lndgs if possible and better judge movement of boat traffic. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: as of this date, reporter has heard nothing from FAA or NTSB. He has turned in the required reports. He suspects incident may be considered an accident because of the damage to the left wing. He reiterated that there were no personal injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLOAT PLANE LNDG TRIED TO AVOID A SAIL BOAT AND DUG A WING TIP INTO THE WATER.

Narrative: WATER LNDG WAS COMPLETED ON A CHARTER FLT WITH 3 PAX INTO LAKE UNION. WINDS WERE OUT OF THE NW AT APPROX 5. LNDG WAS MADE TO THE SW WITH A LIGHT XWIND. BOAT TFC WAS HEAVY ON THE ENTIRE LAKE. I TOUCHED DOWN IN AN AREA RELATIVELY FREE OF OBSTACLES. THE ONLY FACTOR WAS A SMALL SAIL BOAT ON THE LEFT TRAVELING AWAY FROM ME, PARALLEL TO MY LNDG DIRECTION. AFTER T/D THE SAIL BOAT BEGAN MERGING TO THE RIGHT INTO MY TAXI PATH. I CHOSE TO PULL THE PWR OFF INSTEAD OF ATTEMPTING A STEP TAXI TURN, AS I DIDN'T BELIEVE THERE WAS ENOUGH ROOM TO AVOID ALL OBSTACLES AT A HIGH RATE OF SPD. AS THE ACFT SETTLED OFF THE STEP I INITIATED A TURN TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID THE MERGING BOAT TFC. CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ALONG WITH A RIGHT XWIND CAUSED THE RIGHT WING TO RAISE. THE ACFT LEFT WING IMPACTED THE WATER, CAUSING THE NOSE TO PITCH FORWARD PUTTING THE LOWER SECTION OF THE ENG COWLING INTO THE WATER. THE PLANE THEN CAME TO REST UPRIGHT, ENG RUNNING AND DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING. NO INJURIES. PAX WERE LET OFF AT THE DOCK AND PICKED UP BY ANOTHER ACFT. MY ACFT WAS TAXIED BACK TO BASE. I WAS TIRED AFTER HAVING JUST RETURNED FROM ANOTHER FLT JUST PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. THIS WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO HAVING SLOWER REACTIONS. I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THE BOAT WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE COURSE, BUT SINCE IT DID, MY ONLY OPTION WAS TURNING INTO THE WIND (DUE TO XWIND LNDG). PERHAPS IT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY CIRCLING FOR BOAT TFC UNTIL AN UPWIND LNDG COULD BE MADE. THIS WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME MORE POSITIVE GND MANEUVERING AND SLOWER WATER SPD. POSSIBLY HAD I OBSERVED MORE CLOSELY I MIGHT HAVE SEEN THAT THE SAILBOAT HAD ME IN SIGHT AND WAS TRYING TO MAKE A TURN INSTEAD OF CONVERGING INTO MY PATH. LESSONS ARE TO AVOID XWIND LNDGS IF POSSIBLE AND BETTER JUDGE MOVEMENT OF BOAT TFC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: AS OF THIS DATE, RPTR HAS HEARD NOTHING FROM FAA OR NTSB. HE HAS TURNED IN THE REQUIRED RPTS. HE SUSPECTS INCIDENT MAY BE CONSIDERED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING. HE REITERATED THAT THERE WERE NO PERSONAL INJURIES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.