Silverlight AR-1 N463JW

Summary

On 3 October 2019 at about 15:15 local time, a Silverlight AR-1 registered N463JW was involved in an accident near Fort Meade, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 October 2019 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Meade, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.7017, -81.7861

Aircraft

Silverlight AR-1

Registration

N463JW

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2018

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tampa → Sebring

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20TA005

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection that failed to detect water contamination of the fuel and resulted in a total loss of engine power during cruise flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot obtained automotive fuel from a gas station close to his departure airport to fuel the gyroplane before departing on a solo cross-country flight. About 45 minutes into the flight, there was a “loud bang” from the engine, and it subsequently lost total power and could not be restarted. The pilot performed a forced landing in a swamp, during which the rotor blades impacted terrain. Post-accident examination revealed fuel contamination consisting of water and sediment. New fuel was added, and a subsequent test run of the engine revealed no anomalies. It is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of the fuel contamination, and that the accident would have likely been prevented if the student pilot had performed an adequate preflight inspection to detect water in the fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.