Star-Lite Engineering Ltd WARP 1A accident near Lakeland, Florida, April 21, 1998
On April 21, 1998 at about 2:54 pm local time, a Star-Lite Engineering Ltd WARP 1A, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N914SL, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland-Linder Regional airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, while maneuvering on crosswind in the traffic pattern, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and an in-flight collision with a building and the terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's decision to take off with a right quartering tailwind, and his lack of experience in the make and model of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1998 · about 2:54 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeland, Florida · Lakeland-Linder Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Star-Lite Engineering Ltd WARP 1A, amateur-built
- Registration
- N914SL · no longer on the register · serial 9970001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was observed to takeoff with a left quartering tailwind. A witness stated the airplane climbed out at very slow airspeed on the verge of a stall. The airplane was observed in a shallow right crosswind turn, when the angle of bank increased between 60 to 90 degrees. The nose pitched down, and the airplane was observed to roll over inverted before disappearing from view. No change in engine sound was noted. The airplane collided with a building and the terrain, and the pilot was fatally injured. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed no recorded flight time in the Warp 1A airplane.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 857 hours in all; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 1997; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAL at 2:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Observation at 2:54 pm from LAL
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.