CRESCENT CITY, Fla. — A pilot is speaking with First Coast News after his single engine Pazmany PL-4A crashed in a pond northwest of Palatka Municipal Airport Monday.
The FAA says it was due to mechanical issues while the pilot was on the way to the airport.
James Goolsby, 81, says he's been flying a plane since he was just a teenager.
“My wife says I'm in love with it,” said Goolsby.
Goolsby says his flight career started after high school. He became a flight instructor and worked for a small airline
Goolsby says he put in his military service with the army and then worked as a navigator at Pan American World Airways and checked out as a copilot.
“In 1986, when Pan-American sold the pacific division to United Airlines, I went to United Airline and I worked there 14 years and retired as a 747 400 captain,” said Goolsby.
On Monday morning, Goolsby was coming back from a funeral in Georgia, he was planning to stop to refuel at the Palatka Municipal Airport, but he lost power on his plane.
“Basically, I wouldn’t say it was a dead engine, but it was at idle so that’s not doing me any good," said Goolsby.
After Goolsby called for help, he said made a water landing in a retention pond.
“So I set it up and got down low and held it off and stared skiing off the tires and then the tires dug in," said Goolsby. "That got exciting for a few seconds."
A US Navy MH-60 Seahawk was in the area and responded to the scene, said the Putnam County Sheriff's Office
The Navy flight crew located the downed plane and had Goolsby loaded on a rescue basket upon the arrival of Putnam County Sheriff's Deputies.
The Navy kindly gave Goolsby a lift back to the airport, deputies say.
Goolsby says he was not injured, but he’s sure his Pazmany PL-4A is damaged.
He says he hasn’t been able to get his plane yet or see the damages, but he’s going to try to repair the plane as soon as possible.