J3 trainee pilot bumped a small boat during water taxi practice.

Attributes
ACN	425496
Time
Date	199901
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : tpa
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	other
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 208 flight time total : 21275 flight time type : 1
ASRS Report	425496
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : instructor oversight : pic
Qualification	other other : other pilot : cfi
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : insufficient time
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

I was on a training flight with a flight instructor on a lake practicing taxiing a seaplane. Prior to taxiing, I noticed one small boat and brought that to the attention of the flight instructor who also saw the boat. He then showed me how to taxi and had me practice. I kept the boat in sight and informed the flight instructor who told me to go around the boat to the right of it while in a left turn. As we were about to pass the boat, we bumped into another boat, with one of our floats. We had not seen the other boat at the beginning of our taxi practice. It must have slowly pulled out into the edge of the lake. No one was hurt and we were able to taxi back to the seaplane base. As this was a training flight that I was not the PIC, I had to trust the judgement of the flight instructor to conduct a safe flight with his knowledge of the local area and set procedures. Had I been the PIC, I would have avoided any area with boat activity and simply did the flight training at other lakes in the area that had no boat traffic at all. Taxiing close to other boats did not seem polite to people just trying to relax and catch fish.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: J3 TRAINEE PLT BUMPED A SMALL BOAT DURING WATER TAXI PRACTICE.

Narrative: I WAS ON A TRAINING FLT WITH A FLT INSTRUCTOR ON A LAKE PRACTICING TAXIING A SEAPLANE. PRIOR TO TAXIING, I NOTICED ONE SMALL BOAT AND BROUGHT THAT TO THE ATTN OF THE FLT INSTRUCTOR WHO ALSO SAW THE BOAT. HE THEN SHOWED ME HOW TO TAXI AND HAD ME PRACTICE. I KEPT THE BOAT IN SIGHT AND INFORMED THE FLT INSTRUCTOR WHO TOLD ME TO GO AROUND THE BOAT TO THE R OF IT WHILE IN A L TURN. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO PASS THE BOAT, WE BUMPED INTO ANOTHER BOAT, WITH ONE OF OUR FLOATS. WE HAD NOT SEEN THE OTHER BOAT AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR TAXI PRACTICE. IT MUST HAVE SLOWLY PULLED OUT INTO THE EDGE OF THE LAKE. NO ONE WAS HURT AND WE WERE ABLE TO TAXI BACK TO THE SEAPLANE BASE. AS THIS WAS A TRAINING FLT THAT I WAS NOT THE PIC, I HAD TO TRUST THE JUDGEMENT OF THE FLT INSTRUCTOR TO CONDUCT A SAFE FLT WITH HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE LCL AREA AND SET PROCS. HAD I BEEN THE PIC, I WOULD HAVE AVOIDED ANY AREA WITH BOAT ACTIVITY AND SIMPLY DID THE FLT TRAINING AT OTHER LAKES IN THE AREA THAT HAD NO BOAT TFC AT ALL. TAXIING CLOSE TO OTHER BOATS DID NOT SEEM POLITE TO PEOPLE JUST TRYING TO RELAX AND CATCH FISH.

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.