Amateur-built SEAREY accident near Welaka, Florida, April 6, 2018
On April 6, 2018 at about 5:21 pm local time, a 2017 amateur-built SEAREY, registered N124AL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Welaka, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s incorrect pitch input during a water landing, which resulted in a nose-over. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s inadequate training and experience in the make and model airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2018 · about 5:21 pm local time
- Place
- Welaka, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEAREY NO SERIES, built 2017
- Registration
- N124AL · registry record · serial 1DK204
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the experimental, amateur-built, amphibious airplane, during a water landing he "decided that the nose was slightly high." He applied forward pressure on the control stick, the nose pitched down, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward right-wing lift strut and windshield. The pilot noted that he had accumulated 3.8 hours of flight time in the accident airplane make and model. He asserted that more pilot training in the airplane make and model could have prevented the accident. The pilot held a Federal Aviation Administration private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He did not possess an airplane single-engine sea rating. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 306.2 hours in all; 3.7 in this make and model; 12.1 in the last 90 days; 5.9 in the last 30 days; 276.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 17, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6.9 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 24, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 8 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Palatka FL at 3:25 pm
- Destination: Palatka FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from KDED, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 4, 2018. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N124AL 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.