Piper PA-18-150 N38BS

Summary

On 29 March 2025 at about 15:50 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N38BS, operated by Jack Browns Seaplane Base Inc, was involved in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 March 2025 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Winter Haven, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Jack Browns Seaplane Base (F57)

Coordinates

28.0613, -81.7616

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N38BS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Jack Browns Seaplane Base Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA207

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadvertent movement of the fuel selector to a position that restricted fuel flow to the engine, which resulted in the loss of engine power during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During an instructional flight, the flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction took off from a lake and began a normal climb. At a height of about 200 to 300 feet, the engine began losing power, and the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane. As the instructor maneuvered the airplane away from marine traffic, the engine lost power completely. The airplane contacted the water hard, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing strut and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was not in the right fuel tank detent. The examination otherwise revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the engine or fuel system that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was later started and test run normally with the right fuel tank selected, and when the valve was positioned slightly out of the right fuel tank detent, the engine began losing power within about 30 seconds. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot inadvertently moved the fuel selector in a position that restricted fuel flow to the engine, which resulted in the loss of engine power during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.