ERA25LA289

On August 2, 2025, about 1925 eastern daylight time, a Jabiru Aircraft Pty Ltd J-230-D, N784J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Oak Island, North Carolina. The private pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane had recently undergone lengthy maintenance, and this was the second flight after completion of the repairs. The pilot reported that there were no anomalies noted during the preflight inspection and that the airplane operated normally during startup, taxi, engine runup, and takeoff. During the climb out, the pilot reported the airplane developed momentary “blips” in reduction of engine power that would last less than a second. The pilot stated that he had experienced these momentary drops in power before, but they had always stopped after leveling off the airplane. The pilot leveled off the airplane; however, the momentary power drops continued, and the pilot decided to return to the airport. While over the water, the pilot turned onto the final approach leg to the runway, and the engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power by adjusting throttle settings, turning on the fuel pump, as well as the carburetor heat; however, the engine continued to lose power. The pilot reported that while at 1,400 ft mean sea level and still over the water, he realized he would not reach the airport and that the nearby beach was too crowded with people to make a safe emergency landing. The pilot elected to ditch the airplane into the water near the beach. While lining up for the forced ditching, the engine completely lost power, and the propeller stopped rotating. During the forced ditching, the airplane’s main landing gear impacted the water first, and shortly after, the airplane nosed over into the water. After impact, the airplane began to sink, and the pilot was extricated through the broken windshield by nearby first responders. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The wreckage was retained for further examination.