Originally Posted by
rwanttaja
The pilot of the most recent accident had an ATP, and word is that he was a regional sales representative for Icon. Other stories say he was flying a prospective buyer of his own aircraft. I believe the pilot's ATP was relatively recent (in the past two years).
There are about 100 Icons in the registry, and there have been, I believe, five accidents. I don't believe any of the accidents point to any failing of the aircraft. One deliberate maneuvering at low altitude, one flying up a box canyon, one fuel exhaustion, one hard landing (on the water), and, IIRC, one case of landing on the water with the gear down. Amphibious aircraft have higher accident rates than land-only airplanes, and at least two of the five cases are directly related to operations off the water.
I certainly am one among many who decries Icon's marketing approach, but don't believe there's any evidence of a flaw in the design.
Ron Wanttaja