What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 28, 2025, about 1000 EST, a spicola AR-1 gyroplane, privacy data omitted, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Buckingham field airport (FL59), Lehigh Acres, Florida. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The gyroplane was operated as a part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that prior to departure he added 7 gallons of 100 low lead fuel bringing the total fuel capacity to 14 gallons. After fueling, he checked the fuel tank for contaminants and there were none. He also performed a preflight inspection with no discrepancies noted. As part of his briefing to the pilot-rated passenger he informed him how to enter and exit, to keep his
Hands free of all controls, and do not exit the gyroplane until the main rotor blades had stopped turning. He also informed him how to put and take off the passenger restraint system including the chest strap which most aircraft do not have and therefore most pilots are not accustomed to a chest strap. Weight and balance calculations showed the gyroplane was 37 pounds below design gross weight. After engine start he taxied to the approach end of the
Runway where he performed an engine run-up with no discrepancies reported. He then lined up at the end of runway 32, and with about 4,400 feet of runway available, pre rotated the main rotor to 200RPM, the higher end of the pre rotation speed due to the higher weight than solo, and released the brakes. He reported acceleration was fine and the engine RPM was 5700 and climbing, rotor speed was 250RPM and climbing. After rotation he pushed over to stay in ground effect and accelerate to the takeoff safety speed of 55 knots and started to climb at 60 knots indicated. The climb rate was good until approximately 100-150 feet above ground level, when a noticeable reduction in climb performance was observed. He ensured he had full throttle applied and visually checked that his left hand was full forward. He then checked that both electric fuel pumps were on, and there was no illumination of turbocharger caution or warning lights, the alternator lights were out, and that both magneto switches were on. He glanced at the engine RPM gauge and noticed it was reading around 5,100 RPM. It was at this time that he knew a forced landing was imminent and his primary concern was of his passenger and that he needed to maintain a proper airspeed above all else. He pushed the nose down to maintain 55 knots and realized that the flight was no longer high enough to clear the trees at the end of the runway and was still losing altitude. He surmised that there was not enough runway and overrun available to land straight ahead. The west side of the airport had a large field but with two retention ponds running 32/14. He kept the nose
Down maintaining 50-55 knots and made a left turn trying to get more available landing area and to avoid the trees. At approximately 20 ft he rolled level, flared, and landed between the ponds on the upslope of the bank of the first pond, which sheared the nose landing gear. The
Gyroplane entered the second pond and rolled over to the right coming to rest in about 2 to 3 ft of water. Pilot extracted himself and then moved back to help extract the passenger who had already self-extracted. The gyroplane was recovered for further detailed examination of the engine.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2025, ABOUT 1000 EST, A SPICOLA AR-1 GYROPLANE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT BUCKINGHAM FIELD AIRPORT (FL59), LEHIGH ACRES, FLORIDA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE GYROPLANE WAS OPERATED AS A PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT STATED THAT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE HE ADDED 7 GALLONS OF 100 LOW LEAD FUEL BRINGING THE TOTAL FUEL CAPACITY TO 14 GALLONS. AFTER FUELING, HE CHECKED THE FUEL TANK FOR CONTAMINANTS AND THERE WERE NONE. HE ALSO PERFORMED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. AS PART OF HIS BRIEFING TO THE PILOT-RATED PASSENGER HE INFORMED HIM HOW TO ENTER AND EXIT, TO KEEP HIS
HANDS FREE OF ALL CONTROLS, AND DO NOT EXIT THE GYROPLANE UNTIL THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES HAD STOPPED TURNING. HE ALSO INFORMED HIM HOW TO PUT AND TAKE OFF THE PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM INCLUDING THE CHEST STRAP WHICH MOST AIRCRAFT DO NOT HAVE AND THEREFORE MOST PILOTS ARE NOT ACCUSTOMED TO A CHEST STRAP. WEIGHT AND BALANCE CALCULATIONS SHOWED THE GYROPLANE WAS 37 POUNDS BELOW DESIGN GROSS WEIGHT. AFTER ENGINE START HE TAXIED TO THE APPROACH END OF THE
RUNWAY WHERE HE PERFORMED AN ENGINE RUN-UP WITH NO DISCREPANCIES REPORTED. HE THEN LINED UP AT THE END OF RUNWAY 32, AND WITH ABOUT 4,400 FEET OF RUNWAY AVAILABLE, PRE ROTATED THE MAIN ROTOR TO 200RPM, THE HIGHER END OF THE PRE ROTATION SPEED DUE TO THE HIGHER WEIGHT THAN SOLO, AND RELEASED THE BRAKES. HE REPORTED ACCELERATION WAS FINE AND THE ENGINE RPM WAS 5700 AND CLIMBING, ROTOR SPEED WAS 250RPM AND CLIMBING. AFTER ROTATION HE PUSHED OVER TO STAY IN GROUND EFFECT AND ACCELERATE TO THE TAKEOFF SAFETY SPEED OF 55 KNOTS AND STARTED TO CLIMB AT 60 KNOTS INDICATED. THE CLIMB RATE WAS GOOD UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 100-150 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, WHEN A NOTICEABLE REDUCTION IN CLIMB PERFORMANCE WAS OBSERVED. HE ENSURED HE HAD FULL THROTTLE APPLIED AND VISUALLY CHECKED THAT HIS LEFT HAND WAS FULL FORWARD. HE THEN CHECKED THAT BOTH ELECTRIC FUEL PUMPS WERE ON, AND THERE WAS NO ILLUMINATION OF TURBOCHARGER CAUTION OR WARNING LIGHTS, THE ALTERNATOR LIGHTS WERE OUT, AND THAT BOTH MAGNETO SWITCHES WERE ON. HE GLANCED AT THE ENGINE RPM GAUGE AND NOTICED IT WAS READING AROUND 5,100 RPM. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT HE KNEW A FORCED LANDING WAS IMMINENT AND HIS PRIMARY CONCERN WAS OF HIS PASSENGER AND THAT HE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN A PROPER AIRSPEED ABOVE ALL ELSE. HE PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN TO MAINTAIN 55 KNOTS AND REALIZED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS NO LONGER HIGH ENOUGH TO CLEAR THE TREES AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND WAS STILL LOSING ALTITUDE. HE SURMISED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RUNWAY AND OVERRUN AVAILABLE TO LAND STRAIGHT AHEAD. THE WEST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT HAD A LARGE FIELD BUT WITH TWO RETENTION PONDS RUNNING 32/14. HE KEPT THE NOSE
DOWN MAINTAINING 50-55 KNOTS AND MADE A LEFT TURN TRYING TO GET MORE AVAILABLE LANDING AREA AND TO AVOID THE TREES. AT APPROXIMATELY 20 FT HE ROLLED LEVEL, FLARED, AND LANDED BETWEEN THE PONDS ON THE UPSLOPE OF THE BANK OF THE FIRST POND, WHICH SHEARED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. THE
GYROPLANE ENTERED THE SECOND POND AND ROLLED OVER TO THE RIGHT COMING TO REST IN ABOUT 2 TO 3 FT OF WATER. PILOT EXTRACTED HIMSELF AND THEN MOVED BACK TO HELP EXTRACT THE PASSENGER WHO HAD ALREADY SELF-EXTRACTED. THE GYROPLANE WAS RECOVERED FOR FURTHER DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.