Amateur-built Searey accident near Ennis Lake, Montana, July 9, 2008
On July 9, 2008 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Searey, registered N24YD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ennis Lake, Montana (Lake Ennis 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 failure to retract the landing gear prior to landing on the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2008 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ennis Lake, Montana · Lake Ennis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Searey
- Registration
- N24YD · registry record · serial 1DK427C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amphibian seaplane is capable of operating from water, and also from land airports when the retractable landing gear is extended. The pilot took off from a land airport and flew to his intended lake destination, where he intended to make a water landing. The pilot made a normal approach to the lake and the seaplane nosed over when the still extended landing gear wheels came in contact with the water. The forward portion of the seaplane's fuselage was crushed, and the pilot was seriously injured. The pilot subsequently reported that during the accident flight he had not experienced any mechanical malfunction with his airplane, and he "had forgotten to retract the landing gear" prior to the water 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Water › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,200 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 914 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT
- Destination: NONE Ennis Lake MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N24YD 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.