Amateur-built AR-1 accident near Brooksville, Florida, October 21, 2019
On October 21, 2019 at about 1:30 pm local time, a 2017 amateur-built AR-1 (gyroplane), registered N147AR, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Brooksville, Florida (Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to attain the proper rotor speed before takeoff, which resulted in the rotor blade striking the rudder. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff in a timely manner.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2019 · about 1:30 pm local time · cases in 2019
- Place
- Brooksville, Florida · Brooksville-Tampa Bay Rgnl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AR-1, built 2017
- Registration
- N147AR · registry record · serial 0016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, the gyroplane's rotor "flapped" and struck the rudder. He aborted the takeoff and taxied to the ramp without further incident. The gyroplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the gyroplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that if he had aborted the takeoff at the first indication of a problem the accident could have been avoided.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 259 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 204 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 19, 2019
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 190 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 19, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 190 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BKV Brooksville FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: BKV Brooksville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KBKV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 24, 2020. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N147AR on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 987 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,702 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA20CA044.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.