Amateur-built B-8M accident near Minneola, Florida, March 20, 1982
On March 20, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built B-8M (gyroplane), registered N25PH, was destroyed in an accident near Minneola, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Minneola, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built B-8M
- Registration
- N25PH · no longer on the register · serial 1931
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES HEARD AN ENGINE SPUTTER AND LOOKED UP TO SEE THE GYROCOPTER DESCENDING VERTICALLY INTO A NEARBY WOODED AREA WHILE THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS POINTED ALMOST STRAIGHT DOWN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT POSSESS ANY AERONAUTICAL CERTIFICATES OR RATINGS AND THAT HE HAD ACQUIRED APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN GYROCOPTERS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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
Pilot
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 547 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Mcculloch O-100 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Clermont FL
- Destination: Clermont FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from ORL, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.