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20140121001989I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Shadoan James D SEAREY · Winter Haven, FL · January 21, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 21, 2014 · 14:30 local
Place
Winter Haven, FL
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N239JS
Reported as
Shadoan James D Searey
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
175 total170 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days
N239JSRegistered now · Shadoan James D SEAREYS/N 1MK239CAirframe modelShadoan James D SEAREY

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.

On January 21, 2014, at about 14:30 EST, privacy data omitted, holder of student pilot certificate, privacy data omitted, while conducting a solo flight in a Searey light sport aircraft, N239JS, landed in lake hamilton, Florida, with the landing gear in the down position causing the bow of the hull to submarine damaging the boot cowling and canopy causing the hull to fill with water.

The hull of the aircraft once filled with water sank below the surface with the wing and engine remaining mostly above the surface. Damage to the aircraft was limited to the boot cowling, which covers the bow of the hull, and the canopy. No structural aircraft damage was identified. The right main landing gear was damaged during recovery. Aircraft damage is therefore determined to be minor.

privacy data omitted, The student pilot, and registered owner of the aircraft was appropriately qualified for solo flight in the aircraft. privacy data omitted Stated that he landed in the water with the gear inadvertently in the down position which caused the bow of the airplane to pitch down into the water and submarine.

The aircraft condition inspection was completed on August 29, 2013, and was found to be in an airworthy condition safe for flight. Aircraft operating limitations were not recovered and were therefore not reviewed.

Weather was VFR and was not considered to be a factor.

As the FAA filed it

ON JANUARY 21, 2014, AT ABOUT 14:30 EST, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HOLDER OF STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WHILE CONDUCTING A SOLO FLIGHT IN A SEAREY LIGHT SPORT AIRCRAFT, N239JS, LANDED IN LAKE HAMILTON, FLORIDA, WITH THE LANDING GEAR IN THE DOWN POSITION CAUSING THE BOW OF THE HULL TO SUBMARINE DAMAGING THE BOOT COWLING AND CANOPY CAUSING THE HULL TO FILL WITH WATER.

THE HULL OF THE AIRCRAFT ONCE FILLED WITH WATER SANK BELOW THE SURFACE WITH THE WING AND ENGINE REMAINING MOSTLY ABOVE THE SURFACE. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO THE BOOT COWLING, WHICH COVERS THE BOW OF THE HULL, AND THE CANOPY. NO STRUCTURAL AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS IDENTIFIED. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS DAMAGED DURING RECOVERY. AIRCRAFT DAMAGE IS THEREFORE DETERMINED TO BE MINOR.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, THE STUDENT PILOT, AND REGISTERED OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROPRIATELY QUALIFIED FOR SOLO FLIGHT IN THE AIRCRAFT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE LANDED IN THE WATER WITH THE GEAR INADVERTENTLY IN THE DOWN POSITION WHICH CAUSED THE BOW OF THE AIRPLANE TO PITCH DOWN INTO THE WATER AND SUBMARINE.

THE AIRCRAFT CONDITION INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED ON AUGUST 29, 2013, AND WAS FOUND TO BE IN AN AIRWORTHY CONDITION SAFE FOR FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT OPERATING LIMITATIONS WERE NOT RECOVERED AND WERE THEREFORE NOT REVIEWED.

WEATHER WAS VFR AND WAS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A FACTOR.