Landing and Fishing
A pilot landed an aircraft on a beach near the mouth of Polly Creek to go fishing. After several hours of fishing, the pilot noticed fuel leaking from the filler cap on the left main tank. The leak occurred when fuel cross-flowed from the right auxiliary tank. In response, the pilot turned off the left main and right auxiliary fuel tanks to stop the cross-feed.
Takeoff Attempt
As several more hours passed, the tide began coming in, prompting the pilot to hurry his preflight in order to depart the beach. During the takeoff roll, the engine coughed at lift-off, leading the pilot to abort the takeoff. The aircraft bounced two or three times on the uneven beach surface, and then the left main landing gear entered the surf. Subsequently, the plane veered and nosed over in deeper water.
Pilot's Account
The pilot stated that he had planned to take off using the full left tank. After the accident, he found that the right fuel selector was on, but the left main tank was only partially on. He believed this caused the engine to sputter from fuel starvation.
Post-Accident Damage
Before recovery, the plane was further damaged by the surf.