January 1, 2012, Willimantic, Conn., Seastar XP Experimental

At about 1211 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced water landing after a partial loss of power during initial climb. The private pilot/owner was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot was executing a series of touch-and-go landings. After touching down, adding power and initiating climb, the airplane’s engine lost partial power, dropping to approximately 2000 rpm. The pilot elected to do a water landing on the Willimantic Reservoir, which was close to the end of the runway, but had too much speed. During a series of S-turns, the left lower wing’s float struck the water and separated from the airplane.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced water landing on the Willimantic Reservoir after experiencing a partial loss of engine power during initial climb.
The incident occurred during a series of touch-and-go landings, with the engine dropping to approximately 2000 rpm after adding power.
During the water landing, the airplane's left lower wing float separated, and both left wings sustained damage, including partial separation and bending.
The private pilot/owner was not injured in the incident, despite the significant damage to the aircraft.

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The pilot was executing a series of touch-and-go landings. After touching down, adding power and initiating climb, the airplane’s engine lost partial power, dropping to approximately 2000 rpm. The pilot elected to do a water landing on the Willimantic Reservoir, which was close to the end of the runway, but had too much speed. During a series of S-turns, the left lower wing’s float struck the water and separated from the airplane. After the airplane slowed to taxi speed the pilot noticed that the engine was still running but when he would advance the throttle, rpm would initially increase but almost immediately drop to 1000 rpm. The lower left wing was partially separated from its mounting location and the left upper wing was bent back approximately 20 degrees.