Waterwings, Inc SeaRey accident near Vicksburg, Mississippi, March 26, 2006
On March 26, 2006 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Waterwings, Inc SeaRey, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N42685, was destroyed in an accident near Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2006 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Vicksburg, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waterwings, Inc SeaRey, amateur-built
- Registration
- N42685 · no longer on the register · serial 1DK326C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,530 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 UL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VKS Vicksburg MS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.