Summary
On March 26, 2006, a Waterwings, INC SeaRey (N42685) was involved in an incident near Vicksburg, MS. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's inadvertent reduction of power resuting in a collision with water. Contributing factors were the low altiude selected and the pilot's inattention.
The 2,530-hour private pilot/owner was flying his experimental single-engine, amphibious airplane about 10-feet-high above the Mississippi River when he realized the landing gear was extended. When the pilot attempted to retract the landing gear, he accidentally pulled the throttle back to the idle position, instead of the manual landing gear release lever. The pilot immediately realized what he had done and pushed the throttle to full power; however, the nose of the airplane had already dropped and the airplane collided with water while at an airspeed of 70 to 75 miles per hour. Upon impact with the water, the airplane flipped-over. The pilot and his passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted and swim to shore.
This incident is documented in NTSB report DFW06CA092. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N42685.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadvertent reduction of power resuting in a collision with water. Contributing factors were the low altiude selected and the pilot's inattention.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The 2,530-hour private pilot/owner was flying his experimental single-engine, amphibious airplane about 10-feet-high above the Mississippi River when he realized the landing gear was extended. When the pilot attempted to retract the landing gear, he accidentally pulled the throttle back to the idle position, instead of the manual landing gear release lever. The pilot immediately realized what he had done and pushed the throttle to full power; however, the nose of the airplane had already dropped and the airplane collided with water while at an airspeed of 70 to 75 miles per hour. Upon impact with the water, the airplane flipped-over. The pilot and his passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted and swim to shore. The airplane sank in the river and any attempt to locate it were unsuccessful. The airplane is still missing and presumed to be destroyed.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DFW06CA092