20050922022089I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr SEAREY · Guntersville, AL · September 22, 2005

Date: September 22, 2005 · 12:00 local
Place: Guntersville, AL
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N435RW
Reported as: Amtr Searey
Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX912UL
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 25,600 total29 in this make and model29 in the last 90 days

N435RWRegistered now · Wheaton Robin SEAREYS/N 1MK321C Airframe modelWheaton Robin SEAREY Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot was attempting to troubleshoot a higher than normal cylinder head temperature while in the pattern at Guntersville airport in Guntersville, Alabama. With the wheels still down after takeoff, the pilot decided to land the amphibious aircraft in lake Guntersville. Upon touchdown on the water, the wheels down caused the aircraft to flip over inverted. The aircraft ended upside down on a sandbar resting on the aircraft engine (the engine is on top of the fuselage). The sandbar kept the aircraft from drifting away and also exposed the hull of the aircraft and the landing gear. The pilot was able to get out of the cockpit and get to the surface.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO TROUBLESHOOT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL CYLINDER HEAD TEMPERATURE WHILE IN THE PATTERN AT GUNTERSVILLE AIRPORT IN GUNTERSVILLE, ALABAMA. WITH THE WHEELS STILL DOWN AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND THE AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT IN LAKE GUNTERSVILLE. UPON TOUCHDOWN ON THE WATER, THE WHEELS DOWN CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP OVER INVERTED. THE AIRCRAFT ENDED UPSIDE DOWN ON A SANDBAR RESTING ON THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE (THE ENGINE IS ON TOP OF THE FUSELAGE). THE SANDBAR KEPT THE AIRCRAFT FROM DRIFTING AWAY AND ALSO EXPOSED THE HULL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE COCKPIT AND GET TO THE SURFACE.