SMA ON PHOTO MISSION FLEW OVER POPULATED AREA AT LESS THAN 1000' AGL.

Narrative

OUR FLT DEPARTED SARASOTA ARPT AT APPROX 1130 HRS ON 6/XX/88 TO PHOTOGRAPH THE SHORELINE OF ANA MARIA ISLAND. AFTER REACHING A GIVEN ALT OF 1600'; SARASOTA TWR HANDED US OVER TO TPA APCH CTL. WE STAYED WITH APCH DURING THE ENTIRE FLT ON A GIVEN TRANSPONDER CODE; UNDER VFR CONDITIONS WITH ALT MINIMUMS ATTEMPTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR 91.79. OUR FLT CONTINUED TO THE N END OF THE ISLAND AND THEN TURNED SBND DROPPING TO AN ALT OF 500' OVER THE WATER. AN INWARD TURN TOWARD THE SHORELINE WAS MADE. DUE TO A W WIND AND THE CONFUSION OF THE 2 PLTS AND PHOTOGRAPHER; WE HAD DRIFTED OVER THE LAND W/O ENOUGH ROOM TO TURN AROUND OVER THE WATER IN ORDER TO CONTINUE OUR FLT AT 500'. ALTERNATELY; WE CAME OUT OF THE TURN; DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF THE PROP; UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED CLB PWR TO GAIN AN ALT OF 1000'. THE PROP CB WAS TRIPPED IN THE AUTO POS WHICH HAS OCCURRED ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS WITH THIS ACFT. WHILE TRYING TO RESET THE CB; WE CONTINUED OUR FLT OVER LAND TOWARD THE INTERCOASTAL WHICH WAS CLOSER NOW THAN TURNING BACK TO THE SHORELINE. ONCE OVER THE WATER WE WERE ABLE TO RESET THE CB IN THE MANUAL POS; GAIN PWR; RETRACT THE FLAPS AND CLB TO 1000' IN ORDER TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 89432: THE ACFT HAD BEEN MANEUVERING AT A REDUCED AIRSPD WITH FLAPS EXTENDED AND WHEN A CLB WAS ATTEMPTED CLB RPM COULD NOT BE OBTAINED.