Amateur-built Searey accident near Sunapee, New Hampshire, August 21, 2008
On August 21, 2008 at about 4:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Searey, registered N204PB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Sunapee, New Hampshire. 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The pilot's failure to ensure that the landing gear was retracted for the water landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2008 · about 4:50 pm local time · cases in 2008
- Place
- Sunapee, New Hampshire · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Searey
- Registration
- N204PB · registry record · serial 211
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot departed a hard-surfaced runway for a flight to, and landing on, a lake approximately 10 miles away. According to the pilot, about 10 minutes into the flight he cycled the landing gear to the retracted position. He then observed that the wing flap position differed from that displayed on the cockpit indicator. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for landing, he deployed the flaps to an estimated position of 10 degrees, and on the base leg, he attempted to position them to the landing setting of 20 degrees. When the airplane touched down on the lake, it stopped abruptly, and partially submerged. The impact resulted in a serious injury to the pilot, and substantial damage to the airplane. According to the pilot, he did not realize that the landing gear was extended for the water landing, and he did not select or command the extended position. Postaccident information provided by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the landing gear was in the extended and locked position, and the landing gear controls were in the corresponding position. According to the designer of the airplane, two separate controls must both be activated to extend or retract the landing gear; no single action can cause the landing gear to extend, and the gear cannot free-fall to the extended and locked position.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2B3 Newport NH at 4:35 pm
- Destination: NONE Sunapee NH
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from VSF, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N204PB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912 241 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Parlin Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Hampshire 393 since 1982 · 56 in the last ten years
- New Hampshire 1,565 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC08CA285.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.