# Accident 20230707009529A: Good James AIR CAM, Oak Island, NC, July 7, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 7, 2023, 08:30 local time
- Place: Oak Island, NC
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.8622° N, 78.0150° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.8622&lon=-78.0150&mi=10
- Aircraft: N38HP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N38HP-2024-05-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Good James AIR CAM (registry code 05612D2, https://openairdocs.org/model/good-james-air-cam) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GOOD JAMES AIR CAM
- Reported engine: BOMBARDIER ROTAX (ALL)
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,501 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN23LA290](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA290) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230707009529A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 7/7/2023 AN EXPERIMENTAL AIR CAM AMPHIBIAN WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE NORTH WEST OF BALD HEAD ISLAND, NC. THE INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT, DEPARTED CAPE FEAR REGIONAL JETPORT (KSUT) WITH ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD AND LANDED ON THE OCEAN. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE REALIZED THE SWELLS WERE VERY LARGE A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE THE PLANE SETTLED ON THE WATER BUT CHOSE NOT TO PERFORM A GO AROUND BECAUSE HE WAS AT A LOW AIRSPEED. AFTER LANDING, HE ASSESSED THE CONDITIONS FOR TAKEOFF AND DECIDED THAT THE SWELLS WERE SPACED FAR ENOUGH APART FOR TAKEOFF BUT DID NOT REALIZE THEY WERE TRAVELING SO FAST. BY HIS ESTIMATE, THE PLANE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35-40 KNOTS AND WAS ON THE STEP WHEN A SWELL CAME AND CAUSED THE PLANE TO ROLL RIGHT, CATCHING THE RIGHT WING IN THE WATER AND FLIPPING IT UPSIDE DOWN. THE PLANE CAME TO REST IN THE WATER IN AN INVERTED POSITION. THE PASSENGER AND PILOT WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT AND WERE UNHARMED. THE PILOT FURTHER COMMENTED THAT HE HAS LANDED IN THIS LOCATION PREVIOUSLY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN23LA290](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA290), Jul 7, 2023: Good James AIR CAM (N38HP), Caswell Beach, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to properly evaluate the sea state during an open sea landing and subsequent takeoff attempt resulting in an inadvertent impact with the water.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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