Pilot Survives and Swims Away With Minor Injuries

The pilot of an Icon A5 amphibious aircraft was able to swim away with minor injuries after crash-landing into a Tennessee lake. The DeKalb County Fire Department responded to the accident just before 4:00 pm on February 25.

The plane involved is an Icon A5 single-engine amphibian registered as N459BA. Flight tracking data shows that it took off from Smithville Municipal Airport (0A3) at approximately 3:40 pm headed northbound. After around three minutes in the air, the A5 went down in Center Hill Lake. The crash occurred about 5 miles north of the airport by the Holmes Creek Recreation Area.

Luckily, a nearby fisherman witnessed the incident and was able to contact authorities. The DeKalb County Fire Department responded to the scene just before 4:00 pm. The pilot and sole occupant, reported to be James Luna from Auburntown, Tennessee, swam away from the downed plane and hitched a ride back to shore with the fisherman. He had only minor injuries and did not require medical treatment.

Though a cause for the crash has not been determined, the fire department stated that Luna “was attempting to land in the water near the north end of Holmes Creek when the crash occurred.” No fire or spills followed the incident.

The Icon A5 should have been a fascinating bird, with the ability to land on both water and land. More than 200 are  reportedly in operation, and it can fly at speeds up to 120 mph for 345 miles at a time. It has been certified as a Special Light-Sport Aircraft (S-LSA).

However, the aircraft and its manufacturer don’t necessarily have a great track record. Four fatalities and more serious accidents have been tied to the Icon A5. The first, which left two dead, was attributed to the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain. The other two deaths were also a likely result of pilot error, yet many still question the aircraft’s reliability.

Icon Aircraft has also had its fair share of troubles, filing for bankruptcy in April 2024 and selling all of its assets to SG Investment America a few months later -- which reportedly has origins in China... which should come to no surprise (especially American investors who got hurt) to those following this story.

FMI: www.iconaircraft.com