Amateur-built MERLIN N6113Y accident near Otisfield, Maine

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was his lack of experience in the airplane make and model.

NTSB analysis

The pilot purchased the airplane 7 years before the accident but had only accumulated 1 hour of flight time in it. Prior to the accident, the pilot and a friend performed adjustments to the airplane's floats. The pilot then taxied on the lake and departed for a local flight. A witness stated that as the airplane reached an altitude of 100 feet, it banked to the right slightly and then banked hard to the left and pitched down. The airplane impacted the frozen lake in a nose-down attitude, bounced, and came to rest, breaking the ice. Postaccident examination of the airplane found no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12LA230 for the full record.