Amateur-built APOLLO AG-1 N141C accident near Smith Beach, Virginia

Probable cause

The noninstrument-rated pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight weather planning, which resulted in an off-airport precautionary landing to avoid weather and a subsequent collision with power lines.

NTSB analysis

The noninstrument-rated private pilot of the experimental, amateur-built gyroplane reported that, during a cross-country, personal flight, as the flight neared the destination airport, the cloud ceiling began to lower very rapidly. He then decided to land at a private airstrip before the destination airport. He mistook a road for the private airstrip, and during the attempted landing, the gyroplane collided with power lines and sustained substantial fuselage damage.

Examination of the gyroplane did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation nor did the pilot report any. The recorded weather at the destination airport included visibility of 1 3/4 miles in mist and overcast ceiling at 500 ft. The pilot used weather equipment onboard his gyroplane, but he did not receive a preflight weather briefing from flight service. It is likely that the pilot's failure to get a preflight weather briefing and his inadequate use of his onboard weather equipment led to his subsequent decision to conduct an off-airport landing and the subsequent collision with power lines.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA18TA142 for the full record.