ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 314096
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| Date: | Wednesday 31 May 2023 |
| Time: | 15:30 |
| Type: |  Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N2440S |
| MSN: | 1MK162 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 724 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Sherrills Ford, NC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Long Island Airpark, NC (NC26) |
| Statesville Regional Airport, NC (SVH/KSVH) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On May 31, 2023, at 1530 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built SeaRey amphibious airplane, N2440S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sherrills Ford, North Carolina. The pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane provided a written statement and was later interviewed by telephone. He said he departed Lake Norman Airpark (14A), Mooresville, North Carolina, which was his home airport, and flew about 3 minutes across the lake to Long Island Airpark (NC26). The flight was uneventful and prior to the flight he performed a preflight inspection, and engine run-up with no anomalies noted.
According to the pilot, he and the passenger visited with a friend at NC26 before boarding the airplane for a flight to Statesville Regional Airport (SVH), Statesville, North Carolina. He said the airplane was airborne within the first 1/4 of the 3,000-foot-long turf runway but had climbed to only 100 ft at the departure end, which abutted Lake Catawba. The pilot said he “immediately” performed a sharp left turn to assume his enroute heading because “there was no need to maintain runway heading once clear of obstacles.”
Approximately halfway through the turn, the engine experienced a “sudden” loss of power but continued running with “excessive” vibration. Remedial actions to restore power were unsuccessful in the descent. The pilot stated that he selected a forced-landing spot on the lake, and moved the landing gear selector to the “up” position with “about 25 ft of altitude nearing 50 mph of airspeed.” Photographs taken by a witness showed that the airplane contacted the water with the landing gear extended. The pilot said the airplane pitched forward at water contact and came to rest upright and afloat in the water with substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing strut.
After recovery of the airplane, the pilot started the engine for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site. The engine started and ran, before it “choked out” and stopped operating. This sequence was repeated multiple times
The airplane was retained for further examination.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. He did not possess a seaplane rating. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on May 15, 2022. The pilot declared 361 total hours of flight experience, of which 36 hours were in the accident airplane.
According to FAA and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1998 and was powered by a Rotax 914, 115-horsepower engine. The airplane’s most recent condition inspection was completed February 6, 2023, at 724 total aircraft hours.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/plane-crash-landing-lake-norman-catawba-river-long-island/275-1df366e4-1e9e-4b51-b585-3851ed222662
https://www.wbtv.com/2023/05/31/sources-small-plane-lands-lake-norman/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=2440S
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Jun-2023 00:05 | RobertMB | Updated |
| 01-Jun-2023 13:35 | johnwg | Updated |
| 04-Jun-2023 14:29 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 02-Jul-2023 19:51 | Captain Adam | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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