Nine-Inch Gash Discovered Below The Airplane's Waterline

The NTSB has released a preliminary report from an accident which occurred on September 15 involving an Airmax Construccoes Aeronautica Seamax-M22 landing on Candlewood Lake near New Fairfield, Connecticut.

According to the report, the plane was substantially damaged during the water landing, but neither the pilot or his passenger were injured in the incident.

The flight that departed Francis S Gabreski Airport (KFOK), Westhampton Beach, New York. During a normal water landing at the intended destination, the airplane took on water and sunk into the lake. Upon retrieval of the airplane, a 9-inch gouge was discovered on the underside of the forward fuselage, below the water line.

An FAA inspector confirmed the substantial damage, and noted that pine tree debris were embedded in the aft portion of the damaged area. The pilot stated that he did not feel any impact during the landing.

The airplane was operated by Waterbird Holding, LLC as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for  The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The News Times of Danbury, CT reports that, according to Candlewood Lake Authority Marine Patrol Officer Nick Mellas, the plan regularly made trips to the lake. It is about a 40 minute flight from KFOK to the lake. The pilot told Mellas that everything seemed normal on the landing until he noticed water seeping into the cabin of the aircraft. He said he did not feel any impact with any debris during the landing sequence. The pilot and his teenage son were the only people on board the aircraft at the time of the incident, and they were pulled from the airplane before it sank. There was no release of oil or fuel from the aircraft as a result of the accident, according to the report.

(Image from file. Not incident aircraft)

FMI: NTSB Preliminary Report, Original Report