Amateur-built SEAREY accident near Englewood, Florida, June 7, 2018
On June 7, 2018 at about 3:50 pm local time, a 1997 amateur-built SEAREY, registered N907CB, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Englewood, Florida (Buchan Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2018 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Florida · Buchan Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEAREY NO SERIES, built 1997
- Registration
- N907CB · no longer on the register · serial 1MK105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot of the experimental, amateur-built airplane reported that he performed an engine run-up at 3,500 rpm along the entire length of the runway and then turned around for takeoff in the opposite direction. After rotation, the engine lost partial power. The airplane descended and struck a tree at the end of the runway before coming to rest in grass near the runway end. The fuselage and left wing sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of serious carburetor icing at glide power and icing at glide and cruise power. The engine was not equipped with a carburetor heat system. Therefore, it is likely that the carburetor accumulated ice during ground operations, which resulted in the partial loss of engine power during the subsequent climb.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during initial climb
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Runway excursion during after landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 274 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 137 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 215 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 878 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 8, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 878 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X36 Englewood FL at 3:45 pm
- Destination: 48X Palmetto FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,040 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from VNC, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on December 18, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence with FAA | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Memorandum for Record - Olson | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts - Maintenance Logbooks | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | FAA Saib Carburetor Icing Prevention | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.