Jet Skier rescues seaplane after Stump Pass forced landing
An experimental SeaRey airplane made an emergency water landing just off Palm Island at Stump Pass on Sunday at around 4:20 p.m. Palm Island beachgoers, as well as a Jet Skier, came to the rescue of the stranded pilot, Aaron Biedenbach.
“They all came running,” said Biedenbach, who lives in Apollo Beach and flies a scenic coastal route up and down the coast from his home airport in Manatee County.
Biedenbach’s Austrian Rotax engine failed, and he was forced to find a spot to land in the pass. Luckily, a Jet Skier happened to be nearby, as well as a crowd full of beachgoers. In spite of the water landing, there was damage to the float, tail and bottom piece.
“The fellow pulled me all the way down here with his Jet Ski,” said Biedenbach. “Everybody came running to this little spit of ground right here. Everybody came and gave me water and made sure I had everything I needed.”
The Jet Ski could bring the ship to the shore, but it could not take her to safety. That was up to the beach crowd. “They had a piece of rope,” said Biedenbach. “We hooked it on the bow. And they all came running to help out. It was awesome.”
On Tuesday morning at sunrise, pilot and owner Biedenbach was back out to the island to recover the seaplane. The wreck recovery was led by Jacksonville-based Florida Air Recovery, a company officially licensed by the federal government for airplane accidents. They have responded to air disasters across the state, including a Cessna that crashed in February. A recent difficult case was a Bombardier Challenger near Naples on Interstate 75 last year. The largest crash they have worked was a 737-800. They were referred to Biedenbach by the federal government. Officially licensed firms are important, as evidence must be preserved because of the need for investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Michael O’Shea, who has worked with the company for 14 years, led the recovery with assistant Cameron LaCombe. “We are like a wrecker service for airplanes,” O’Shea said. “We just basically assist the NTSB.”
To rescue the plane, O’Shea brought a small crane and trailer across the Palm Island Transit ferry. The two trailers just fit on the ferry and were led to the spot by a staffer from Palm Island resort.
The plane had luckily beached at the north end of the island, in an easily accessible area not far from the end of Palm Island Drive. For the transport of the wings, Biedenbach had brought a U-Haul trailer, along with Craftsman tools to remove the wings. The preliminary FAA report issued on Monday said that it “crashed in the water in Stump Pass near the northern tip of Palm Island due to engine failure.”
LaCombe and O’Shea, disassembling the plane. Photos by Garland
After the crash, Cpl. Aaron Williams and Cpl. Scott Sarver of Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department assisted Biedenbach. They also marked off the site using crime tape, and old sticks found on the beach. “I am really appreciative of their help,” Biedenbach said. “Deputy Aaron came and watched the whole thing and made sure everybody was safe.”
The plane was removed intact to Manatee County, where federal officials can investigate. “The NTSB wants to inspect the engine because it was a loss of power,” said Biedenbach, who is a professional engineer who works on retail and restaurant signage. He expects to get flying again; the challenge is locating parts, as the plane kit is no longer made, and the manufacturer no longer in business.
“Here are you, got a little bit of a problem,” Biedenbach said. “And they all came running to help. It was really, really nice.”
About the SeaRey
The Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey was designed and built by Orlando entrepreneur Kerry Richter. Sold since 1992, the two-seat amphibious flying boat is no longer made. The engine is behind the wing, a so-called “pusher” configuration more akin to an outboard marine engine. The plane gained a following when Richard Bach, famous for Jonathan Livingston Seagull, wrote a book about his travels. The planes are sturdy; Australian pilot Michael Smith flew a specially built SeaRey, the Southern Sun, around the world, including across Iceland and Greenland.
