# Accident 19980421007369A: Amtras STARLITE, Lakeland, FL, April 21, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 21, 1998, 10:54 local time
- Place: Lakeland, FL
- Airport: Lakeland Regional Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.9800° N, 82.0094° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9800&lon=-82.0094&mi=10
- Aircraft: N914SL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N914SL-2018-01-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Star-Lite Engineering WARP 1A (registry code 05605JF, https://openairdocs.org/model/star-lite-engineering-warp-1a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTRAS STARLITE
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX503
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 857 total, 0 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98LA141](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA141) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980421007369A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

HAD DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING AIRCRAFT, FR WING TIP STRUCK BUILING AND IMPACTED GROUND. LOGBOOK SHOWED NO TIME IN MAKE (-23) ON APRIL 21, 1998, ABOUT 1054 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A STAR-LITE WARP 1A, N914SL, REGISTERED TO STAR-LITE ENGINEERING LTD, OPERATING AS A 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHE WHIL MANEUVERING IN THE VICINITY OF LAKELAND-LINDER REGIONAL AIRPORT, LAKELAND, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED.  THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM LAKELAND-LINDER REGIONAL AIRPORT ABOUT 4 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.  WITNESSES STATED THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE FLYING TOWARDS THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST TOWARDS THE GEICO INSURANCE BUILDING.  THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO START A SHALLOW RIGHT TURN.  THE BANK INCREASED BETWEEN 60 TO 90 DEGREES.  THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN AND THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED BELOW THE TREE LINE AND BUILDINGS IN AN INVERTED DESCENDING ATTITUDE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA98LA141](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA141), Apr 21, 1998: Star-Lite Engineering Warp 1A (N914SL), Lakeland, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: 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.…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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