Strange Airplane and Unfamiliar Environment Leads to Tragedy

For an expert pilot, this new toy did not turn out to be child's play.

Peter Garrison

Monday, November 25, 2024 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

He was flying along a river toward a low sun that blinded him to the wires in his path. [Getty Images]

Key Takeaways:

A pilot and passenger died when their newly acquired amphibious biplane struck unmarked power lines during a low-level flight over Lake Hickory.
Despite the pilot's extensive overall experience, he had very limited flight time (8.4 hours) in the specific aircraft and likely hadn't adequately scouted the lake for hazards like the power lines, which were visible online but not charted.
The accident emphasizes that even highly experienced pilots must cultivate specific vigilance and mastery when operating new aircraft types or flying in unfamiliar environments, as general experience does not automatically transfer to specialized conditions.

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Lake Hickory, created by a dam on the Catawba River in North Carolina, is long and sinuous, oriented broadly east-west. Near its western end is Hickory Regional Airport (KHKY).

On a clear August day in 2023, a pilot, 63, and a passenger, 41, himself a student pilot, took off from KHKY in a Scoda Super Petrel LS, a two-seat amphibious light sport biplane manufactured in Brazil. They flew 5 miles northeast to a point where a highway bridge crosses Lake Hickory. There they turned left over the lake, made a touch-and-go landing, and then continued westward at low level.