Autogyro Cavalon accident near Sebring, FL
On October 30, 2018, an Autogyro Cavalon (gyroplane) was involved in an accident near Sebring, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 30, 2018
- Place
- Sebring, FL
- Aircraft
- Autogyro Cavalon · Gyroplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 27.481°N, 81.480°W
- NTSB ID
- 20181030X64550
Official records · ERA19FA034
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 30, 2018, about 1448 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built AutoGyro Cavalon gyroplane, N198LT, was destroyed during collision with a power pole, wires, terrain, a residence and a post-crash fire following a forced landing in Sebring, Florida. The commercial pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight which departed Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) about 1440 and was destined for Manatee Airport (48X), Palmetto, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The purpose of the accident flight was for the pilot to take the passenger back to his home airport. Witnesses stated the pilot flew the accident gyroplane earlier in the day for about 2 hours, serviced it with fuel, then he and the passenger departed on the accident flight. Radar information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that a radar target identified as the accident gyroplane was acquired at 500 ft, and its track depicted a climb to about 1,000 ft and a cruise profile along a heading of about 280°. The radar track traversed the southern border of Lake Jackson in Sebring. About 1446, the radar data depicted that the gyroplane began a descent from about 1,000 ft over the southwestern shore of the lake. The descent followed the shoreline to the northwest, and the radar target disappeared at 900 ft, at which time the gyroplane's groundspeed was 90 knots and its ground track was about 0.4 mile south
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to operate the gyroplane in an unairworthy condition, which resulted in the cyclic pitch control disconnecting in flight. Contributing was the pilot's inability to maintain control of the helicopter utilizing the published emergency procedure.
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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.
