History of Flight
On May 21, 2012, at 1210 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Pitts S1D, registration N360MW, impacted the waters of the Gulf of Mexico while conducting aerobatic maneuvers approximately 200 to 400 yards from the shoreline near Port Richey, Florida. The pilot, who held an airline transport pilot certificate, was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions; no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Hidden Lake Airport (FA40), New Port Richey, Florida, at 1145.
According to the pilot’s father-in-law, the pilot was performing aerobatic maneuvers over the Gulf while family observed from a nearby park. The witness observed aileron rolls, wingovers, loops, and stalls. Before the accident, the pilot initiated a loop at an altitude between 300 and 500 feet above the water. At the apex of the loop, while inverted, the airplane began descending, and the witness noted it appeared to lack sufficient altitude to recover. The witness believed the pilot may have attempted recovery before impact in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. No discernible change in engine sound was heard during the sequence.
Another witness, wade fishing at Brasher Park, observed the airplane performing aileron rolls, stalls, and loops at higher altitude before the final loop initiated between 200 and 300 feet. The airplane pitched up into a loop and started back down; engine noise remained unchanged until a "pop" sound as the airplane pulled out. Impact was nose-down, left-wing-low. The airplane floated briefly before sinking.
The pilot's wife stated that on the day of the accident, the pilot did not stay within the usual "box" and his flying seemed "sloppy."
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 33, held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, and type ratings in Boeing 737/757/767, Lear Jet 60, and Raytheon 390S. He also held a flight instructor certificate for single-engine, multi-engine, and instrument airplane. According to FAA records, the pilot had 3,359 total flight hours. Between August 10, 2011, and April 24, 2012, he logged 45 hours in the accident airplane make and model, including 8 hours of dual instruction in aerobatics. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued July 5, 2011, with no waivers or restrictions.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a single-seat aerobatic biplane of conventional tube and fabric construction, equipped with a flat M6 airfoil section and upper and lower wing ailerons. It was powered by a non-certificated, experimental 180-horsepower Lycoming IO-360 engine with a Christen inverted oil system, non-certificated fuel injection servo, fuel flow divider, right ignition system, and alternator. No engine data plate was present. The engine crankcase half was marked L-3086-36; Lycoming records indicated the engine left the factory March 4, 1960, as an O-360-A1A. The FAA experimental operating limitations and special airworthiness certificate were issued June 23, 1986, for N360DS; the registration later changed to N360MW. The last annual inspection was completed June 24, 2011, with 513.3 total hours on the airframe and 2,166.7 hours on the engine.
Meteorological Information
The 1253 surface observation at Tampa International Airport (TPA), 21 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, reported wind from 250 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 30°C, dew point 12°C, and altimeter setting of 30.01 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright on the sea floor in 4 feet of water on a magnetic heading of 334 degrees. The propeller assembly remained attached; the spinner was damaged and deformed. One blade was bent aft 10 degrees, 18 inches from the tip; the other blade was undamaged. Engine continuity was verified; suction and compression were obtained on all cylinders, with no anomalies observed via borescope. The throttle was full open, mixture full rich, fuel selector on, tachometer indicated 240.6 hours, altimeter indicated 300 feet and 29.99 inHg, and the G-meter showed maximum readings of -5G and +12G. The upper right wing separated at the root, rear spar broken; lower right wing separated and fragmented. Upper left wing separated at the root, rear spar broken; lower left wing separated and fragmented. The fuselage from the pilot seat aft was intact; vertical fin, horizontal stabilizers, and elevator controls were undamaged. The elevator trim tab was deflected full up (nose down). Control continuity was confirmed from cockpit to all flight controls.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner District Six listed the cause of death as blunt trauma. FAA CAMI forensic toxicology was negative for drugs and alcohol. The pilot's wife reported that her husband had experienced a fainting episode two years prior and a possible broken nose, but FAA medical records did not document this. In the four days before the accident, the pilot had cold symptoms, left eye pain, and was diagnosed with bronchitis; he was prescribed amoxicillin. On the accident day, the pilot did not complain of lightheadedness or dizziness.
Additional Information
FAA defines aerobatic flight as an intentional maneuver involving abrupt change in attitude, abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration not necessary for normal flight. Under 14 CFR Part 91, no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight below 1,500 feet above the surface.