Narrative:

Flying a high performance floatplane, in which the pilot had limited experience with, on a sight seeing tour, the left float struck a tree shortly after takeoff. Upon leaving the dock with 2 passenger the pilot taxied out into the lake to make a wind direction determination. The wind appeared to come from the southwest even though a takeoff was made to the southeast a couple hours before this flight. The apparent wind pointed in the direction of limited takeoff distance and a rising shoreline with trees, so the aircraft was taxied farther out to get a better assessment. The aircraft operator had earlier asked to have takeoffs into the wind, and the wind was still indicated from the area of limited water length, instead of a longer area that would require a crosswind. A point had been determined prior to flying in this area for a go/no go decision at which the floatplane must have taken off and begun climb out. The pilot taxied to the downwind end of the lake and using all the available length took off in the southwest direction. The plane made the takeoff at the go/no go point but began to lose lift as it climbed out. The aircraft continued to climb but upon seeing it would not completely clear the trees at the far end, the pilot turned into a narrow clearing instead of a 180 degree turn downwind. Upon leveling out, a tree struck the left float at the bumper, damaging the front of the float, but leaving the rest of the aircraft undamaged. The aircraft had no problem landing, and except for damage to the left water rudder, was able to make a taxi to the dock. The pilot should have taken off in the direction which would have given him an out instead of the no win situation of the narrow passage. A crosswind takeoff would have been a far better decision. Because there were no injuries, or no further damage to the aircraft, the pilot was rather lucky in this otherwise no win situation. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he was flying a maule M-4 with a 210 hp 6 cylinder engine. The aircraft was equipped with straight 2000 displacement floats. The lake was not an established seaplane base but associated with lodges on the chippawa flow. The go/no go point was established by one of the lodge owners familiar with the area. The incident occurred in july and the outside air temperature was about 82 degrees F but the lake was less than 1000 ft elevation so the reporter did not believe density altitude was as much of a factor as the winds around the hills causing down drafts. This reporter was carrying 2 passenger on a 20 min scenic tour.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SEAPLANE CLIPS TREE ON TKOF.

Narrative: FLYING A HIGH PERFORMANCE FLOATPLANE, IN WHICH THE PLT HAD LIMITED EXPERIENCE WITH, ON A SIGHT SEEING TOUR, THE L FLOAT STRUCK A TREE SHORTLY AFTER TKOF. UPON LEAVING THE DOCK WITH 2 PAX THE PLT TAXIED OUT INTO THE LAKE TO MAKE A WIND DIRECTION DETERMINATION. THE WIND APPEARED TO COME FROM THE SW EVEN THOUGH A TKOF WAS MADE TO THE SE A COUPLE HRS BEFORE THIS FLT. THE APPARENT WIND POINTED IN THE DIRECTION OF LIMITED TKOF DISTANCE AND A RISING SHORELINE WITH TREES, SO THE ACFT WAS TAXIED FARTHER OUT TO GET A BETTER ASSESSMENT. THE ACFT OPERATOR HAD EARLIER ASKED TO HAVE TKOFS INTO THE WIND, AND THE WIND WAS STILL INDICATED FROM THE AREA OF LIMITED WATER LENGTH, INSTEAD OF A LONGER AREA THAT WOULD REQUIRE A XWIND. A POINT HAD BEEN DETERMINED PRIOR TO FLYING IN THIS AREA FOR A GO/NO GO DECISION AT WHICH THE FLOATPLANE MUST HAVE TAKEN OFF AND BEGUN CLBOUT. THE PLT TAXIED TO THE DOWNWIND END OF THE LAKE AND USING ALL THE AVAILABLE LENGTH TOOK OFF IN THE SW DIRECTION. THE PLANE MADE THE TKOF AT THE GO/NO GO POINT BUT BEGAN TO LOSE LIFT AS IT CLBED OUT. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO CLB BUT UPON SEEING IT WOULD NOT COMPLETELY CLR THE TREES AT THE FAR END, THE PLT TURNED INTO A NARROW CLRING INSTEAD OF A 180 DEG TURN DOWNWIND. UPON LEVELING OUT, A TREE STRUCK THE L FLOAT AT THE BUMPER, DAMAGING THE FRONT OF THE FLOAT, BUT LEAVING THE REST OF THE ACFT UNDAMAGED. THE ACFT HAD NO PROB LNDG, AND EXCEPT FOR DAMAGE TO THE L WATER RUDDER, WAS ABLE TO MAKE A TAXI TO THE DOCK. THE PLT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OFF IN THE DIRECTION WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM AN OUT INSTEAD OF THE NO WIN SIT OF THE NARROW PASSAGE. A XWIND TKOF WOULD HAVE BEEN A FAR BETTER DECISION. BECAUSE THERE WERE NO INJURIES, OR NO FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE ACFT, THE PLT WAS RATHER LUCKY IN THIS OTHERWISE NO WIN SIT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE WAS FLYING A MAULE M-4 WITH A 210 HP 6 CYLINDER ENG. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH STRAIGHT 2000 DISPLACEMENT FLOATS. THE LAKE WAS NOT AN ESTABLISHED SEAPLANE BASE BUT ASSOCIATED WITH LODGES ON THE CHIPPAWA FLOW. THE GO/NO GO POINT WAS ESTABLISHED BY ONE OF THE LODGE OWNERS FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN JULY AND THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS ABOUT 82 DEGS F BUT THE LAKE WAS LESS THAN 1000 FT ELEVATION SO THE RPTR DID NOT BELIEVE DENSITY ALT WAS AS MUCH OF A FACTOR AS THE WINDS AROUND THE HILLS CAUSING DOWN DRAFTS. THIS RPTR WAS CARRYING 2 PAX ON A 20 MIN SCENIC TOUR.

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.