Amateur-built SEAREY accident near Selby Beach, Maryland, April 22, 1999
On April 22, 1999 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built SEAREY, registered N6115P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Selby Beach, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 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 maintain aircraft control during the landing sequence, which resulted in the airplane contacting the water in a nose low attitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 1999 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Selby Beach, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEAREY
- Registration
- N6115P · registry record · serial 1MK120
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While returning from a local flight, the pilot established the airplane on a straight-in-approach for a water landing. Approximately 300 feet msl and 75 mph, the pilot configured the airplane with 20 degrees of flaps, and reset the elevator trim. After the airplane cleared a tree-covered hill to the northeast, the pilot retarded the throttle to idle. The airplane contacted the water, dragged its tail, and became airborne. The airplane then contacted the water for a second time in a nose-low attitude, and nosed over. After the accident, flight control continuity was verified, and the engine was run on the airframe, at takeoff power, for 5 minutes. The pilot did not have a single engine sea rating. Federal Aviation Regulations exempt pilots of experimental aircraft from needing a rating in the category of aircraft they are operating.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 192 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 97 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 22, 1999; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from DCA, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N6115P 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.