Pilot Survives After Putting The Airplane In A Canal

The pilot of a Sonex aircraft was hospitalized with minor injuries Sunday after he experienced an engine failure and landed his aircraft in a canal near a golf course in Naples, FL.

The pilot, identified as 68-year-old David Rynders, had departed Naples airport en route to Immokalee when the engine lost oil pressure and stopped operating. The attempted to make an emergency landing at Marco Island Airport, but was unable to reach the runway. He put the plane down on the golf course near Fiddler's Creek, eventually coming to a stop in a canal, according to television station WINK.

Rynders was able to get clear of the wreckage of the airplane and was spotted by a helicopter SAR team swimming to shore.

Collier County EMS spokesman Walter Kopka said that the SAR crew did a "great job" quickly locating the accident scene and transporting Rynders to the hospital. His injuries were described as serious but non-life-threatening. Collier County chief pilot Walter Wieser said that "he made it out of the aircraft, stayed afloat, and seemed in fairly stable condition."

NaplesNews.com reports that authorities said that the two-place Sonex was not badly damaged in the accident, and will be recovered from the canal by Rynders' insurance company. The FAA, however, in its preliminary accident information listed the aircraft as "destroyed." The airplane received its original airworthiness certificate in December, 2004. The engine type for the kit aircraft was not listed.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov