Amateur-built SKYBOLT accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, March 17, 2018
On March 17, 2018 at about 6:24 pm local time, a 1981 amateur-built SKYBOLT, registered N27265, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Punta Gorda, Florida (Punta Gorda Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A substantial oil leak, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and failure of the No. 2 connecting rod.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2018 · about 6:24 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · Punta Gorda Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SKYBOLT NO SERIES, built 1981
- Registration
- N27265 · no longer on the register · serial WHB-2
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was flying the airplane on the first flight of a 10-hour break-in period after an engine overhaul. The preflight inspection and ground operations were normal, with no signs of oil leaks. About 35 minutes into the flight, oil appeared on both windscreens, blocking the pilot’s forward visibility; the windscreens eventually became completely covered with oil. The pilot contacted tower personnel, who cleared him to land. The engine then lost partial power. Tower personnel reported smoke coming from the engine. Unable to make the runway, the pilot chose to land the airplane in a field. After landing, the airplane collided with a ditch and came to rest. The engine caught fire, and the pilot egressed the airplane. A postcrash fire consumed most of the wreckage. Examination of the engine revealed a large hole in the top of the engine case adjacent to the No. 2 cylinder. The No. 2 connecting rod was fractured at the crankshaft. The connecting rod failure was likely the result of oil starvation to the crankshaft. Extensive postcrash fire damage to the engine, hoses, and accessories prevented investigators from determining the source of the oil leak.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,935 hours in all; 399 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command; 1,509 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 13, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,361 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 20, 2018; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 2,361 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PGD Punta Gorda FL at 5:30 pm
- Destination: PGD Punta Gorda FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 7,193 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PGD, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 8, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Written Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Overhaul Records | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.