Posted on 09/03/2023 5:35:11 AM PDT by texas booster
On Thursday, August 25th, 1994 around 3:00 pm Eastern time, Jimmy Buffett crashed his Grumman G-44 Widgeon, N1471N, while attempting to takeoff in the waters off Nantucket, Massachusetts. The airplane nosed over, and Jimmy was able to swim to safety, sustaining only minor injuries.
Buffett credits his survival to Navy Survival Training he had to complete before being able to ride in an F-14 Tomcat from the deck of an aircraft carrier.
NTSB Narrative:
>> On August 25, 1994, at 1520 eastern daylight time, a Grumman G-44, N1471N, impacted the water during takeoff from Madaket Harbor, Nantucket, Massachusetts. The pilot received minor injuries. The amphibian airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
>> The pilot reported that the takeoff began without incident. He stated, “Transition to the step was smooth…Once on the step there was no indication of engine trouble or control problems. Just prior to lifting off the water, out of the corner of my left eye, I spotted some contrary water what looked to be to me some kind of swell and decided to pull the power, but before I could do so, the plane veered extremely to the right. Attempts to level the plane with opposite aileron was not responsive.”
>> The pilot stated that he “…pulled the power back…” and “…was able to keep the plane from rolling completely over.” He stated the airplane’s left side of the nose impacted the water and the airplane nosed over.
>> Post accident examination of the airframe and engines did not reveal any anomalies.
At the time of the accident, Buffett had about 1,500 total hours, including 400 in multi-engine aircraft and 190 in the Widgeon.
He credited his survival from the seaplane accident in 1994 to Navy Survival Training so he could take off (as a pax) in an F14 off a carrier.
Things I never knew.
Them seaplanes will kill you.
I got a school boy heart
A novelist eye
Stout sailor’s legs
And a license to fly...
If you take a look at Pan-Am’s history with sea planes (the Clippers), you’ll find a lot of fatal crashes with some very experienced pilots at the controls. I’m mentioning Pan-Am because they were pioneers in the use of sea planes for international travel, back when there were no airports in remote locations.
Clippers always looked rugged to me
But I don’t really know their history
I know from WWII history that seaplanes can be tricky.
Here is another story of a famous seaplane crash.
Charles Blair (former US Air Force Brig General) married actress Maureen O’Hara in 1968.
He founded Antilles Air Boats which provided transport between St Thomas and St Croix in the US Virgin Islands as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico. At its peak, Antilles Air Boats operated 27 aircraft.
He died on Sept 2, 1978 on a flight from St Croix to St Thomas in a Grumman G21 Goose. The NTSB concluded that improper pre-flight planning and the company’s inadequate maintenance program contributed to the accident.
Maureen O’Hara took over management of Antilles Air Boats becoming the first woman to be president of United States-based airline. Antilles Air Boats was sold to Air Resorts in 1981.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_F._Blair_Jr.
He was wasted away with margaritas
Here is a little more of the story of Charles Blair and one of his flying boats, the VS-44. Scroll down to just past the Eastern DC-3. That flying boat is the only remaining complete pre-war aircraft. It is very impressive to see.
https://aviationhistorymuseums.com/blog/2023/6/21/the-new-england-air-museum
Thank you for your post.
My Dad was a private pilot when I grew up in Vallejo, CA (SF Bay Area). I moved to the Dallas area in 1991.
We had a 1963 Cessna 150C and later he built a Piper PA-17 Vagabond. We flew all over Northern California in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. His best friend was a B-24 pilot in the south Pacific in WW2. I had a private pilot’s license in my 20’s but stopped flying due to the cost. I just go to aircraft museums and airshows these days.
We spent a week at Oshkosh in 1978.
I have been to the following aircraft museums:
Cavanaugh Flight Museum (Addison,TX)
Frontiers of Flight (Dallas, TX)
Pima Air and Space Museum (Tucson, AZ)
Air Force Museum (Dayton, OH)
Smithsonian Air and Space (DC)
Planes of Fame (Chino, CA)
Midland Army Air Field Museum (Midland,TX)
Aircraft museum next to the USS Alabama (Mobile, AL)
My family, Sundays after church would visit Pan American sea-base at Dinner Key. Those were the good times before Pearl Harbor! Then passengers dressed nicely! b1935
The terminal had a large globe in the mezzanine, which I still is in storage in Miami.
Was he delivering drugs to the Kennedys?
Wow, he didn’t deploy the flaps hoping for ground effect but the waves were too rough.
And he probably had no idea the propeller had been accidentally compromised.
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