I watched the video a couple of times. The lake appears large enough to land after the short flight. A couple of things came to mind right away; first, was the wing slats never retracted indicating the lack of airspeed to retract them. Secondly, it would appear the plane never climbed out of ground effect. I'm thinking the PIC would have felt the lack of ability to climb and set it back on the water. All of this said, the crash was really gentle, better than some of my landings:). 500' ceiling is not a problem if the forward visibility is good and there is no rising terrain. If there is scud then with 500' you takes your chances. One of the prettiest flights I've been on was around Kodiak with a solid 5-700' overcast and crystal clear visibility for miles clear over the Shelikof to the Ak Pen. The flight was from Karluk to the small boat harbor all around the West/Northern coast. Great flight. Flaws in judgement are the most common cause of crashes and no one is exempt from a lapse in judgement from time to time.
Last edited by pak; 10/27/15.
