Crash of Sightseeing Homebuilt Flight Raises Questions

Isabel Goyer

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 12:09 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A modified, three-seat Air Cam floatplane carrying four people crashed off Honduras due to an alleged engine failure, despite the aircraft type's reputation for good single-engine performance.
The manufacturer discourages three-seat modifications due to overloading risks, raising questions about whether the accident aircraft was overloaded and how it accommodated four occupants.
The article highlights several unanswered questions, including why an engine failure led to a "crash" instead of a safe water landing, an eyewitness account of a wing clipping the water, and the role of observed float damage.

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The crash of a sightseeing plane just off the coast of Honduras on Jan. 11 that was reported on by NBC’s Today show on Monday raised questions here at Flying that the NBC report did not address.

Andy Atkins, his wife Jenny and four-year-old son Logan, the story reported, were on an air tour of the island of Roatan near Honduras when, the story claims, “disaster struck: The engine cut out and the seaplane crashed into the water.”