Seaplane Crashes in Catawba County, North Carolina (NC)

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A seaplane carrying a pilot and one passenger flipped over while landing on Lake Norman in Catawba County, North Carolina, around 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Witnesses told investigators that the plane lowered itself to the lake surface when the aircraft flipped forward onto the propeller and began to sink. According to a report filed on WSOCTV.com, the single-engine plane made an unexpected landing on Lake Norman and crashed. A person operating a boat nearby raced to assist. The boater towed the aircraft ashore. Both of the occupants of the airplane survived the ordeal.  Federal, state, and local investigators joined forces to determine why the plane crashed on Lake Norman. *

Investigators described the stricken plane as a fixed-wing, amphibious, single-engine aircraft. Several law enforcement and fire department rescuers flocked to the scene. North Carolina State Troopers assumed local responsibility for the investigation. They said witnessed described the crash as the plane toppling forward during landing. Investigators said that the crash site was near Lake Norman State Park. Boaters helped rescue the 

Crews struggled to prevent the plane from sinking. Consequently, they towed the downed seaplane to the shoreline near the Long Island Airport. Investigators did not describe whether the plane sustained any structural damage. However, a photograph taken at the scene by a news crew suggests that the aircraft remained intact. There was no word on environmental damage. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will assume primary jurisdiction over the investigation to determine why the plane flipped over. 

The rescue of the seaplane's pilot and passenger, as well as the recovery of the plane, was a multi-jurisdictional effort. Law enforcement officers from the Catawba County Sheriff's Department Lake Patrol Division, North Carolina Wildlife Resources, and troopers responding from the nearest North Carolina State Highway Patrol barracks responded. Rescuers from the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue, along with personnel from the Denver Fire Department, joined the rescue efforts. 

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Source:

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/seaplane-crashes-after-attempting-land-lake-norman-catawba-county/3SWWXHK36JHHPJFMCYLMKEWGPM/