Silverlight Aviation LLC AR-1 accident near Fort Meade, Florida, October 3, 2019
On October 3, 2019 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 2018 Silverlight Aviation LLC AR-1 (gyroplane), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N463JW, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Fort Meade, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 2019 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Meade, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Silverlight Aviation LLC AR-1, built 2018, amateur-built
- Registration
- N463JW · registry record · serial 0028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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 (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Fuel contamination during prior to flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › (general) › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 139 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 99 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 140 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,232 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914UL (piston); 140 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X39 Tampa FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: SEF Sebring FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from BOW, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 4, 2022. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Weather | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array- Accident Site and Damage | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photograph of Water in Fuel | PDF, 1 page | 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.