Amateur-built SEAREY accident near Crescent, Florida, July 16, 2019
On July 16, 2019 at about 8:45 pm local time, a 1996 amateur-built SEAREY, registered N632FG, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Crescent, Florida (Eagles Nest Aerodrome airport). It was a personal flight 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 pilot’s misjudgment of his altitude during landing and subsequent decrease in pitch attitude, which resulted in a collision with the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2019 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Crescent, Florida · Eagles Nest Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEAREY No Series, built 1996
- Registration
- N632FG · no longer on the register · serial 1MK-033
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a test flight following minor maintenance he had performed on the airplane. While attempting to land on water in calm wind conditions (he described the water as “glass smooth”), the pilot applied forward stick and immediately found himself underwater. He later stated he believed he lost depth perception when he leveled out above the water's surface prior to touchdown and pushed the nose down to land. Witnesses report the airplane nosed over just prior to landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Glassy surface › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,590 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 19,255 as pilot in command; 3,103 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 27, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 17, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 986 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FD44 Crescent FL at 8:30 pm
- Destination: FD44 Crescent FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from K28J, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on February 11, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.