No fatalities

29 Mar 2008: Thomas J. Dorsey Searey — Glenn Louis Abbett — Mount Dora, FL

Mount Dora, FL, United States

On 29 Mar 2008, a Thomas J. Dorsey Searey operated by Glenn Louis Abbett was involved in an aviation accident near Mount Dora, FL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to verify the position of the landing gear prior to making a water landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

An amateur-built Searey amphibian sustained substantial damage after the pilot forgot to retract the landing gear during a water landing on Lake Dora, Florida.

Accident Details

On an unspecified date, an amateur-built Searey amphibian airplane departed Eustis, Florida, at approximately 1420 hours. The pilot flew toward Lake Dora, Florida, with the intention of performing a water landing. The approach to Lake Dora was described by the pilot as normal.

During touchdown, the pilot realized that the landing gear had not been retracted. He immediately applied full power and full aft elevator in an attempt to abort the landing. However, the drag from the extended landing gear prevented the airspeed from increasing, and the airplane came to a rapid stop. The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of the incident.

Pilot Statement

The pilot reported that he had received good instruction and had experience flying many different airplanes. He characterized the event as "a bad mistake" and expressed hope that it would not happen again. No further details about the pilot or the specific make and model of the Searey were provided in the source.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Water