FAA: Seaplane pilot was trying to land in Tennessee River before crash
The pilot of a seaplane was trying to land it on the Tennessee River when he crashed “for unknown reasons” on March 25, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Only the pilot was on board; he was able to escape the plane without injury, the Knoxville Fire Department wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey, a two-seat, single-engine “amphibious flying boat,” shows as being registered to Knoxville resident Michael V. Williams, as a fractional ownership, according to the FAA registry. Williams did not return requests for comment.
The SeaRey took off from Knoxville Downtown Island airport at 7:22 p.m, according to flight tracker website FlightAware. It then crashed into the river near the airport around 7:30 p.m.
What happened after the pilot took off from Knoxville Downtown Island airport?
The pilot was attempting to land in the Tennessee River and crashed for unknown reasons and flipped over, the FAA noted on its accident and incident notification page. According to the FAA, the plane sustained significant damage.
Knoxville Fire Department spokesman Mark Wilbanks said on March 25 the Federal Aviation Administration had to investigate before the plane was removed from the river. The SeaRey only had a small amount of fuel on board, he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation. A preliminary report will be issued within 30 days of the accident, a spokesperson said.
Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.