Was Unable To Lower Landing Gear And Made Decision To Land In The Water

A pilot with some experience in emergency ditching put a Cessna 337 into the water in Keehi Lagoon near Oahu Tuesday afternoon.

The pilot has not been named, but has been identified as a 68-year-old Australian. He was the only person on board the "Mixmaster" when it went down.

According to Hawaiinewsnow.com, local authorities said that the pilot reported that he was unable to lower the landing gear on the airplane, and he made a decision to land the plane in the water. He circled the lagoon for about two hours burning off fuel before ditching the airplane. He made what was described as a "textbook" water landing, and though the plane sank in seconds, the pilot was able to get himself out and was quickly picked up by emergency crews, who were waiting for him in the water.

The pilot had reportedly been involved in previous situations that led to emergency landings both on land and in the water. He told authorities that those experiences led him to choose the water landing in this scenario.

Capt. David Jenkins, spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department, said he is coordinating with the Coast Guard to remove the airplane from the water "as quickly as possible."

(Image from YouTube)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov