Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162 accident near Lutz, Florida, August 28, 1999
On August 28, 1999 at about 3:40 pm local time, a amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162 (helicopter), registered N314SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lutz, Florida (Tampa North Aero Park 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
a loss of power due to undetermined reasons, resulting in a forced landing and subsequent impact with the ground. A factor in this accident was the pilot was not qualified or certified in helicopters.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1999 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Lutz, Florida · Tampa North Aero Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ROTORWAY EXEC 162 ROTORWAY E
- Registration
- N314SP · registry record · serial 02SP
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Sheriff's deputy, that lived near the crash site, saw the helicopter in a field, noted that a crash had occurred, and that there was no one at the helicopter. The deputy noted that the helicopter was sitting upright, the tail section and tail rotor had 'sheered off,' the main rotor blades were bent and broken. The deputy reported, '...a citizen passerby stopped and said, 'He did it again.' I asked the citizen if he knew whose helicopter it was and the citizen pointed to a house....' The pilot told the deputy, '...he had been flying the aircraft when it crashed...he was up in the air about 200 feet, when he lost power and then auto gyrated back down into the field...he hit the ground hard which caused the blades to bend down and sheer off the tail section. On April 14, 2000, the pilot submitted the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, and stated, '...Lost electronic ignition....alternator not working and battery discharged.' The pilot removed the helicopter from the crash site without permission, and never notified anyone of the accident. An FAA inspector went to the pilot/owner's house, observed the helicopter in his backyard, and said, '...[the pilot] would not answer the door.' He saw a pink helicopter with tail damage, and the rotor had been removed. The pilot was not helicopter rated, and was not qualified or certified to fly the accident helicopter.
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: 230 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotorway UNK (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X39
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from TPA, 7 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.