Air & Space. 18A accident near Lakeland, FL
On April 13, 2000, an Air & Space. 18A (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Lakeland, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 13, 2000
- Place
- Lakeland, FL
- Aircraft
- Air & Space. 18A · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 27.989°N, 82.019°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X20880
NTSB summary
On April 13, 2000, at about 1830 eastern daylight time, an Air & Space Gyroplane 18A, N905AS, registered to Air & Space America Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage. The airline transport pilot was transported to a local area hospital with serious injuries, and died on April 23, 2000. The flight originated from Lakeland-Linder Airport about 2 minutes before the accident. Witnesses stated the gyroplane jumped into the air about 30 to 50 feet, made a right turn down runway 32 climbing to about 150 to 200 feet, turned right down a cone line (crosswind), leveled the gyroplane and climbed another 100 feet. The gyroplane was observed to make a right turn, level briefly, and begin another right turn; which continued until the rotor blades were near vertical. The gyroplane slid sideways towards the ground in a high sink rate and collided with the terrain. Examination of the crash site revealed the aircraft was located in the grass east and north of taxiways "L" and "E". Numerous main rotor blade strikes were present on the ground and the aircraft was laying on its right side. Examination of the airframe, flight control assembly, engine assembly and accessories revealed no evidence of a precrash failure or malfunction. (For additional information see FAA inspector Statement and Lakeland Police Department Report, an attachment to this report.) Dr. Ste
Probable cause
The pilot's in-flight loss of control while maneuvering for undetermined reasons resulting in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
