Ward PITTS SPECIAL WSC-1 N12RW
12 April 1993 · Fort Worth, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 12 April 1993 at about 12:00 local time, a Ward PITTS SPECIAL WSC-1 registered N12RW was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Worth, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.5705, -97.3494
- Aircraft
- Ward PITTS SPECIAL WSC-1
- Registration
- N12RW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW93FA126
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN THE COCKPIT CAME LOOSE AND JAMMED THE RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A SERIES OF UNLIMITED CATEGORY MANEUVERS. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DURING AN INVERTED OVER THE TOP LOOPING TYPE OF MANEUVER, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN INVERTED FLAT SPIN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN INVERTED. THE PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER HAD BEEN SECURED BY TIEWRAPS TO THE LOWER COCKPIT SUPPORT TUBES FORWARD OF THE PILOT CONTROL STICK. A DENT ON THE SIDE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER MATCHED THE DIAMETER OF THE SUPPORT TUBE NEAR THE RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL. METALLURGICAL EVALUATION OF BLACK SMUDGES ON EACH SIDE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND THE PILOT'S SHOE SOLE WERE CHEMICALLY SIMILAR. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE INDICATED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER CAME LOOSE DURING THE FLIGHT ROUTINE AND JAMMED BETWEEN THE SUPPORT TUBE AND THE PILOT'S RIGHT FOOT ON THE RUDDER PEDAL. SHOE MATTER WAS ALSO SMEARED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1993 | Cessna 150L | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | Raven Air Parts Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 1993 | Beechcraft 65-A90 | Marfa, Texas, United States | Johnson, Dennis | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jan 1993 | Rans S-7 | Lancaster, Texas, United States | Windfred D. Hinchliffe | No injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1993 | Cessna A188 | Burleson, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Feb 1993 | Cessna 150M | Bowie, Texas, United States | Texins Association | No injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 1993 | Cessna 172K | Jacksonville, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |