Amateur-built Searey accident near Cokato, Minnesota, October 4, 2007
On October 4, 2007 at about 8:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Searey, registered N452TR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cokato, Minnesota. It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate flare by the pilot during landing. Contributing factors were the lack of an endorsement by the pilot, the lack of total experience in the type of aircraft by the pilot, and the glassy water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2007 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cokato, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Searey
- Registration
- N452TR · registry record · serial IDK 152
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged on impact with a lake during a glassy water landing. The pilot was performing a second flight test of the airplane when, upon landing touchdown, the airplane nosed over. The airplane damage included delamination of hull. The pilot sustained serious injuries, which included a broken right ankle and facial fractures. The airplane was not equipped with an optional shoulder harness restraint system. The pilot did not hold an AP4 logbook endorsement allowing him to pilot float equipped aircraft.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Flight time: 155 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3.6 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,430 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cokato NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N452TR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.