Seaplane Goes Down in Great South Bay During Takeoff

A pilot escaped injury after his seaplane went down in the Great South Bay Tuesday morning, police said.

According to police, Joseph Cannizzaro attempted to take off from the bay off of Gerritsen Avenue in Bayport when the pontoon and the left wing caught water, causing the plane to crash into the water at about 6:45 a.m.

The seaplane had achieved “very little altitude” before the crash, police said.

Cannizzaro, 57, of Bayport, was found sitting on the plane, a single-engine Kitfox II, when Marine Bureau officers arrived on the scene, police said. Members from the Community Ambulance from Sayville checked out Cannizzaro, but he refused medical attention.

A good Samaritan, Peter Williams, saw the seaplane in the water and took his boat to the plane before officers arrived, police said. Williams tied up the seaplane before emergency personnel arrived.

Marine Bureau and Emergency Services officers towed the plane to a nearby beach adjacent to Homan’s Creek in Bayport.

The FAA investigated the incident, police said.

Photo: Google Maps