ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 145767
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| Date: | Monday 21 May 2012 |
| Time: | 12:10 |
| Type: |  Pitts S-1D |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N360MW |
| MSN: | 062957DS |
| Total airframe hrs: | 513 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Gulf of Mexico, off New Port Richey, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | New Port Richey, FL (FA40) |
| New Port Richey, FL (FA40) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Several witnesses reported that the pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. The airplane initiated a loop between 300 to 500 feet above the water. At the top of the loop, while inverted, the airplane started the descent; however, the airplane was too low to recover. The airplane collided with the water in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. There was no noticeable change in engine noise during the accident sequence. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies.
According to the pilot’s wife, for the 4 days leading up to the accident, the pilot had symptoms of a cold and was prescribed Amoxicillin, an antibiotic which treats infections.On the day of the accident, the pilot did not complain of or was not known to have any issues with light headedness or dizziness. Based on this information the pilot did not appear to have a medical condition that would have contributed to the accident and witness accounts indicated the pilot was maneuvering the airplane until impact with the water.
According to the operating rules section of 14 Code of Federal Regustions Part 91, which defines the restrictions on aerobatics, no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to conduct aerobatic flight at a low altitude, which resulted in a collision with the water.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-May-2012 12:31 | gerard57 | Added |
| 21-May-2012 13:51 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn] |
| 21-May-2012 13:59 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Jun-2012 19:24 | Geno | Updated [Time, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:42 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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