Aviat A-1B accident near Halifax, Massachusetts, May 12, 2004
On May 12, 2004 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Aviat A-1B, registered N17MR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Halifax, Massachusetts (Monponsett Pond airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flare during landing, which resulted in an in-flight collision with water. A factor was the glassy water conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 2004 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Halifax, Massachusetts · Monponsett Pond · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1B
- Registration
- N17MR · registry record · serial 2215
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings on a pond. During an approach to the pond, the pilot noted that the winds were light and variable, which caused glassy water conditions. Prior to the landing flare, the pilot was having difficulty referencing his height above the water. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the water nose-low. The float tips submerged, and the airplane came to rest inverted.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 543 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3B2 Marshfield MA
- Destination: MA6 Halifax MA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from PYM, 7 miles away
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.
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.