TBM Avenger forced water landing.

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Found the report - looks like the NTSB made this an incident. The report coincides with some of our friends remarks but I think there was some obvious embellishment. Bold is mine...

THE ACFT MADE A GEAR UP FORCED LDG IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ADJACENT TO A BEACH AT PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE (KCOF) AFTER THE PIC DECLARED AN EMERGENCY TO THE COCOA BEACH AIRSHOW AIR BOSS. THE SOLE-OCCUPANT PIC WAS NOT INJURED AND HE EGRESSED THE ACFT AND GOT TO SHORE SHORTLY AFTERWARD. NO PERSONS ON THE BEACH OR IN THE WATER WERE REPORTED INJURED. DAMAGE TO THE ACFT FROM THE WATER LDG APPEARED TO BE MINOR. SHORTLY BEFORE THE MISHAP, THE ACFT WAS BEGINNING TO PERFORM RACE TRACK PATTERNS AROUND THE AIRSHOW AEROBATIC BOX WITH OTHER WARBIRDS AS PART OF THE AIRSHOW. THE AIR BOSS NOTICED THAT THE ACFT ENGINE WAS EMITTING SMOKE DURING THE INITIAL OVERHEAD PASS, AND HE NOTIFIED THE PIC BY RADIO. THE PIC ELECTED TO COMPLETE THE FIRST PATTERN THEN PROCEED BACK TO THE ACFT HOME BASE AT TIX. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AS THE PATTERN WAS COMPLETED, AND THE PIC ELECTED TO HEAD SOUTH ALONG THE COASTLINE TO LAND AT KCOF LOCATED ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTH OF AIRSHOW CENTER. AS THE ACFT NEARED KCOF, THE PIC DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. HE REPTD THAT HIS ENGINE BEGAN RAPIDLY LOSING POWER AS TURNED RT TOWARD THE RWY SO HE TURNED BACK TO PARALLELING THE COASTLINE FOR A WATER LDG. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN SMOOTHLY IN LIGHT SURF APPROX 50 FT FROM SHORE, IN AN OPEN WATER AREA BETWEEN SEVERAL BYSTANDERS IN THE WATER AND ON THE BEACH. NO INJURIES TO PERSONS ON THE GROUND WERE REPORTED. THE FAA IIC OF THE AIRSHOW INTERVIEWED THE PIC VIA PHONE SHORTLY AFTER THE MISHAP WHILE THE PIC WAS STILL AT THE SCENE: THE PIC RPTD THAT OIL TEMP AND PRESSURE WERE BOTH IN THE GREEN AND GOOD DURING THE FLT, AND THAT THE ENGINE ONLY BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH AFTER DEPARTURE FROM THE AEROBATIC BOX. THE ENGINE POWER CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE AS THE ACFT HEADED SOUTH TOWARDS KCOF AND THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE WAS CONTINUOUSLY FLUCTUATING. THE PIC TURNED THE ACFT AWAY FROM THE ARPT AND LANDED IN THE SURF WHEN THE ENGINE COMPLETELY LOST POWER.

 
FlyboyJ: Putting it gently, DG is not well thought of in the pilot world....

Whoa, if everything this man says is true, what the hell are those people thinking? I've seen kids modding their Hondas, Subarus, etc in their home garage working in a more professional manner.

If it wasn't for the fact that the FAA also mentioned some of the same stuff, I would cast this off as another typical DG hack job.
DG sure has the "pompous ass" act down to a fine art, and he sure is hard to take sometimes, but in this one I think he's spot on. The warbird world's optics in the public eye leave a lot to be desired. I prefer Scott Purdue over at Flywire.
If you had a million dollar B24 with a load of passengers on airshow day with a sick oil transfer pump and a guy in a pilot uniform showed up with a replacement pump in hand and said he was an A&P and offered to install it for you, would you let him into your toolbox and let him do it without checking his credentials? I was that guy, and Collings was the B24 operator, and nobody asked to see my license. The boss guy gave me the key to the tool chest and a step ladder and said "Pump's in the portside main wheelwell. B nuts to 45 foot pounds, safety wire's in the chest, don't do the final twist 'til I inspect it. Get crackin', clock's a runnin'." At the time I didn't think much of it, but in light of the revelations from Nine Oh Nine's demise, I should have seen a red flag there. I never would have seen anything so casual at the airline shop I worked at.
 
Being the "troubleshooter type" with an elephant's memory, I've always been one of those guys eager to dive into a problem, BUT as a Federal employee, I had to become a "follow the checklist" kind of guy. Following checklists, especially for a guy like me, was a discipline to master and once I did, it has saved my rear many a time, my ego on the other hand lol.
 
Thats what i said, it is repairable. If its smart is a different discussion. That is what i dont like at that statement.
 
As someone new to this aspect of the scene, is he as bad as you guys make him sound?


I'll just put these here, you can determine for yourself
 

Wow.
 

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