- Date
- March 26, 2006, 15:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Vicksburg, MS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N42685Waterwings SeaRey
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060326004929A
- Case key
- 63420
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
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.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
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 that 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 the 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 swam to shore. The airplane sank in the river and attempts to locate it were unsuccessful. The airplane is still missing and presumed to be destroyed.
Factual narrative
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42685
- Reported as
- Waterwings SeaRey
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1DK326C
- Engine
- Rotax 912 UL, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Daniel K. Fordice
- Registered owner
- Waterwings, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- VKS · Vicksburg, MS
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 2,530 total · 30 in this make and model · 70 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.