Amateur-built Seawind 3000 accident near Renton, Washington, September 18, 2016
On September 18, 2016 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Seawind 3000, registered N57TJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Renton, Washington (Renton Municipal Airport). 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 failure of the landing gear system to either fully retract or extend due to a cracked hydraulic fitting flare, which resulted in the loss of hydraulic pressure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2016 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Renton, Washington · Renton Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Seawind 3000
- Registration
- N57TJ · no longer on the register · serial 52
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a cross-country personal flight. He reported that, after arriving at his destination and trying to ensure that the airplane was configured for the water landing, he observed that the right main landing gear (MLG) indicator light was off and that the hydraulic pressure read 0. The pilot then attempted to retract the right MLG several times to no avail. He chose to fly to a nearby airport with a paved runway, where the tower controller confirmed that the right MLG was extended but that the left MLG and nose landing gears were retracted. The pilot attempted to use the backup manual hydraulic pump and abrupt maneuvers to extend the remaining landing gear to no avail. The pilot chose to land on the runway with the landing gear partially retracted. The airplane touched down on the runway with the right MLG first. The pilot held the left wing off the runway as long as possible, but then the wing touched the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway surface. The airplane slid along the grass, impacted an airport sign and light, spun 180°, and then came to a rest. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a hydraulic leak had originated from a cracked flare in a hydraulic line fitting, which caused the hydraulic fluid to leak, decreased the hydraulic pressure to 0, and prevented the landing gear system from fully extending or retracting.
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 defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Hydraulic power system › Hydraulic, main system › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Runway/taxi/approach light › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,984 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 1,984 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 14, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 132 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2015; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO540-L1B5 (piston); 770 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1O2 Lakeport CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: RNT Renton WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,382 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from RNT, 1 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 April 10, 2017. 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 | Record of Conversations - Pilot, Owner, Builder | PDF, 5 pages | 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 N57TJ 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.