Narrative:

I landed an small aircraft amphibian on hagg lake oregon. Discovered aircraft was taking on water when opening anchor hatch in cockpit. At this time noted a grey boat approaching from west end of lake. Aircraft was being taxied at this time with bow door open. Individual in boat wore khaki clothes, no other identifying insignias. Boat driver gave cut sign by moving hand across his throat. I yelled at him to stay clear of aircraft as I thought we may be sinking. He moved his boat out of my way and proceeded around my right wing tip and towards rear of aircraft disappearing from my view. My assumption was he was giving me clear path for a takeoff. I began my takeoff in a plough attitude. As the aircraft began to accelerate the nose lowering as the aircraft achieved a planing attitude, I discovered the same boat that was behind at the beginning of my takeoff is now directly under my nose making 'south' turns in front of the seaplane. Since I considered his wake dangerous to my aircraft and passengers safety, I yanked back on the control column and jerked the seaplane into the air. At that moment in time the grey boat cut to my right and disappeared out of my view to the right of my takeoff path. The aircraft I had determined was in jeopardy of sinking, from the time I opened the anchor hatch and saw water coming in. The takeoff was made in haste to preserve the integrity of aircraft and maintain passenger safety. I later learned that this individual was a washington county sheriff. Apparently you need prior permission to land on this lake. This fact could not be determined from local sources prior to flight however, no NOTAM's, FSDO no knowledge, not in spa directory, not in corp of engineers notices of off limit lakes. Somehow you're just supposed to know. Sheriff cited respondent for careless and reckless operation of aircraft and alluding arrest and landing on a public park. Apparently sheriff didn't hear me say 'we're sinking stay clear' over sound of aircraft engine and his boat motor, and didn't realize I had an emergency situation at hand. My hasty departure was a judgement I made as PIC and seemed the lesser of two evils. The sheriff jeopardized the safety of our takeoff and put his life in danger as he clearly broke the marine right of way rules, and in his ignorance of amphibianious aircraft jeopardized our lives in that he could have caused me to dig a pontoon thus flipping aircraft etc. This incident could have been avoided through communication and education of local sheriffs on seaplane operations and limitations on local lakes. Local ordinances of off limit lakes needs to be more accessible to seaplane pilots. Columbia seaplane pilots assn is attempting to take on this task in oregon and washington in early 1991.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA LANDED ON A CLOSED LAKE AND HAD CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH SHERIFF'S BOAT DURING TKOF. REPORTER CLAIMS HE DISCOVERED HULL WAS LEAKING AFTER LNDG AND WAS HURRYING TO GET BACK IN THE AIR BEFORE HE SANK.

Narrative: I LANDED AN SMA AMPHIBIAN ON HAGG LAKE OREGON. DISCOVERED ACFT WAS TAKING ON WATER WHEN OPENING ANCHOR HATCH IN COCKPIT. AT THIS TIME NOTED A GREY BOAT APCHING FROM W END OF LAKE. ACFT WAS BEING TAXIED AT THIS TIME WITH BOW DOOR OPEN. INDIVIDUAL IN BOAT WORE KHAKI CLOTHES, NO OTHER IDENTIFYING INSIGNIAS. BOAT DRIVER GAVE CUT SIGN BY MOVING HAND ACROSS HIS THROAT. I YELLED AT HIM TO STAY CLR OF ACFT AS I THOUGHT WE MAY BE SINKING. HE MOVED HIS BOAT OUT OF MY WAY AND PROCEEDED AROUND MY R WING TIP AND TOWARDS REAR OF ACFT DISAPPEARING FROM MY VIEW. MY ASSUMPTION WAS HE WAS GIVING ME CLR PATH FOR A TKOF. I BEGAN MY TKOF IN A PLOUGH ATTITUDE. AS THE ACFT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE THE NOSE LOWERING AS THE ACFT ACHIEVED A PLANING ATTITUDE, I DISCOVERED THE SAME BOAT THAT WAS BEHIND AT THE BEGINNING OF MY TKOF IS NOW DIRECTLY UNDER MY NOSE MAKING 'S' TURNS IN FRONT OF THE SEAPLANE. SINCE I CONSIDERED HIS WAKE DANGEROUS TO MY ACFT AND PAXS SAFETY, I YANKED BACK ON THE CTL COLUMN AND JERKED THE SEAPLANE INTO THE AIR. AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME THE GREY BOAT CUT TO MY R AND DISAPPEARED OUT OF MY VIEW TO THE R OF MY TKOF PATH. THE ACFT I HAD DETERMINED WAS IN JEOPARDY OF SINKING, FROM THE TIME I OPENED THE ANCHOR HATCH AND SAW WATER COMING IN. THE TKOF WAS MADE IN HASTE TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF ACFT AND MAINTAIN PAX SAFETY. I LATER LEARNED THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS A WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF. APPARENTLY YOU NEED PRIOR PERMISSION TO LAND ON THIS LAKE. THIS FACT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED FROM LCL SOURCES PRIOR TO FLT HOWEVER, NO NOTAM'S, FSDO NO KNOWLEDGE, NOT IN SPA DIRECTORY, NOT IN CORP OF ENGINEERS NOTICES OF OFF LIMIT LAKES. SOMEHOW YOU'RE JUST SUPPOSED TO KNOW. SHERIFF CITED RESPONDENT FOR CARELESS AND RECKLESS OPERATION OF ACFT AND ALLUDING ARREST AND LNDG ON A PUBLIC PARK. APPARENTLY SHERIFF DIDN'T HEAR ME SAY 'WE'RE SINKING STAY CLR' OVER SOUND OF ACFT ENG AND HIS BOAT MOTOR, AND DIDN'T REALIZE I HAD AN EMER SITUATION AT HAND. MY HASTY DEP WAS A JUDGEMENT I MADE AS PIC AND SEEMED THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS. THE SHERIFF JEOPARDIZED THE SAFETY OF OUR TKOF AND PUT HIS LIFE IN DANGER AS HE CLRLY BROKE THE MARINE R OF WAY RULES, AND IN HIS IGNORANCE OF AMPHIBIANIOUS ACFT JEOPARDIZED OUR LIVES IN THAT HE COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO DIG A PONTOON THUS FLIPPING ACFT ETC. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED THROUGH COM AND EDUCATION OF LCL SHERIFFS ON SEAPLANE OPS AND LIMITATIONS ON LCL LAKES. LCL ORDINANCES OF OFF LIMIT LAKES NEEDS TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO SEAPLANE PLTS. COLUMBIA SEAPLANE PLTS ASSN IS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE ON THIS TASK IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON IN EARLY 1991.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.