Pitts S1S N5WD
21 May 2005 · Lake Wales, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 21 May 2005 at about 18:00 local time, a Pitts S1S registered N5WD was involved in an accident near Lake Wales, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lake Wales, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Chalet Suzanne Air Strip (X25)
- Coordinates
- 27.8856, -81.6008
- Aircraft
- Pitts S1S
- Registration
- N5WD
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Wales → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA05LA106
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
Improper maintenance inspection by other maintenance personnel, which resulted in a loose fuel line fitting going undetected, a fuel leak onto exhaust piping, and a fire.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated while in flight about 6,500 feet, near his departure airport, as he was maneuvering he smelled fuel, and felt a spray of fuel on his leg. He immediately dove the airplane and landed uneventfully. After taxiing to parking, and upon securing the engine, the airplane suddenly became engulfed with flames. Postcrash examination of the airplane revealed that a fuel line had become loose and had detached from the fuel servo fitting while inflight. According to the pilot, post-crash examination of the airplane revealed that a fuel line that had become loose and had detached from the fuel servo fitting while inflight. He said that while the propeller was turning, the slipstream kept the fuel away from the exhaust piping, however, once the engine was secured, the fuel leaked on to the exhaust piping and a fire had erupted. The pilot said that the airplane's logbook showed that it had last received an inspection, and had been returned to service on January 20, 2005. He also said purchased the airplane on May 17, 2005, and had only flown it for about 3 or 4 hours.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Pitts S1S accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Aug 2000 | Pitts S1S | Westminister, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 1992 | Pitts S1S | Hornell, New York, United States | David R. Bell | No injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 2022 | Pitts S1S | Shobdon, United Kingdom | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Mar 2023 | Pitts S1S | Trenque Lauquen, Argentina | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Dec 1986 | Pitts S1S | Warsaw, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 2025 | Pitts S1S | Carbondale, Illinois, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 2005 | Shorethose KITFOX SERIES 5 | Cresent City, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 2005 | Beechcraft K35 | Leesburg, Florida, United States | Bryan Yuridel | Fatal | 2 |
| 13 Apr 2005 | Beechcraft BONANZA | South Bay, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Feb 2005 | Beechcraft 35-C33 | Clearwater, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Mar 2005 | Air Tractor AT-602 | Panama City, Florida, United States | Gentry's Flying Service, LLC. | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2005 | Cessna 172 | Kissimmee, Florida, United States | Orlando Flight Training | No injuries | - |