Shepard Jimmy D Jr PITTS S1D N360MW

Summary

On 21 May 2012 at about 16:10 local time, a Shepard Jimmy D Jr PITTS S1D registered N360MW, operated by John P. Donnenfield, was involved in an accident near Port Richey, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 May 2012 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Richey, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.2839, -82.7364

Aircraft

Shepard Jimmy D Jr PITTS S1D

Registration

N360MW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John P. Donnenfield

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Port Richey → New Port Richey

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12FA345

1 person died.

The pilot's decision to conduct aerobatic flight at a low altitude, which resulted in a collision with the water.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Several witnesses reported that the pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers over the Gulf of Mexico. The airplane initiated a loop between 300 to 500 feet above the water. At the top of the loop, while inverted, the airplane started the descent; however, the airplane was too low to recover. The airplane collided with the water in a nose-down, left-wing-low attitude. There was no noticeable change in engine noise during the accident sequence. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies. According to the pilot’s wife, for the 4 days leading up to the accident, the pilot had symptoms of a cold and was prescribed Amoxicillin, an antibiotic which treats infections.On the day of the accident, the pilot did not complain of or was not known to have any issues with light headedness or dizziness. Based on this information the pilot did not appear to have a medical condition that would have contributed to the accident and witness accounts indicated the pilot was maneuvering the airplane until impact with the water. According to the operating rules section of 14 Code of Federal Regustions Part 91, which defines the restrictions on aerobatics, no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.