NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA92LA191
Registry · N4431U
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
HELIO H-391B
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A55850
Registrant of record
DECHERT BARRY E
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHEN AN EXHAUST VALVE SEIZED IN THE OPEN POSITION AND THE WATER WHERE THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND, WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACFT NOSE OVER ON TOUCHDOWN.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT INCREASED POWER TO INITIATE A CLIMB AND THE ENGINE PARTIALLY LOST POWER. HE DITCHED THE ACFT IN PUGET SOUND WHEN HE WAS UNABLE TO REACH AN AIRPORT OR THE SHORE FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE ACFT NOSED OVER ON TOUCHDOWN IN THE WATER. AN EXAM OF THE ENGINE AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THE NO 4 EXHAUST VALVE WAS SEIZED IN THE OPEN POSITION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1992_SEA92LA191.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.