Austin PITTS SPECIAL N109WM

Summary

On 6 February 2005 at about 00:00 local time, a Austin PITTS SPECIAL registered N109WM was involved in an accident near Coolidge, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 February 2005 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Coolidge, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08)

Coordinates

32.9358, -111.4264

Aircraft

Austin PITTS SPECIAL

Registration

N109WM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Coolidge → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA086

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate altitude from the airport surface when performing an intentional low altitude flyby maneuver.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with terrain while the pilot was performing a low pass maneuver over the airport. After departure and upon reaching 100 feet above ground level (agl), the pilot configured the airplane in a 180-degree turn, in an effort to align the flight path parallel to the runway and perform a low pass over the airport. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane in close proximity to the airport surface, he experienced a loss of altitude, resulting in the underside of the right wing and right main landing gear simultaneously impacting the ramp's asphalt. The airplane collided with terrain and skidded several hundred feet. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.