What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
A witness reported the pilot told an employee at a restaurant near the scene of the accident that he would make a low pass and dip his wings. Other witnesses reported that the pilot made a steeply banked, near vertical turn. The airplane impacted the ground in a level flight attitude with little indication of horizontal movement. The airplane burned after impact. (.4)according to witnesses, before the flight, at a local restaurant, the pilot told a waitress that he would fly by the restaurant and wave. The airplane departed the airport, initially flew west, then south, parallel to the shore line. At the marina, the airplane flew by at a low altitude, about 150-300 feet above the ground. It then made a sharp right turn, and the wings were perpendicular to the ground. The nose of the airplane dropped, and it immediately began to descend. It disappeared behind trees, and shortly afterwards, witnesses heard the impact and saw a column of smoke.
As the FAA filed it
A WITNESS REPORTED THE PILOT TOLD AN EMPLOYEE AT A RESTAURANT NEAR THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT THAT HE WOULD MAKE A LOW PASS AND DIP HIS WINGS. OTHER WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE PILOT MADE A STEEPLY BANKED, NEAR VERTICAL TURN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL FLIGHT ATTITUDE WITH LITTLE INDICATION OF HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT. THE AIRPLANE BURNED AFTER IMPACT. (.4)ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, BEFORE THE FLIGHT, AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT, THE PILOT TOLD A WAITRESS THAT HE WOULD FLY BY THE RESTAURANT AND WAVE. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE AIRPORT, INITIALLY FLEW WEST, THEN SOUTH, PARALLEL TO THE SHORE LINE. AT THE MARINA, THE AIRPLANE FLEW BY AT A LOW ALTITUDE, ABOUT 150-300 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. IT THEN MADE A SHARP RIGHT TURN, AND THE WINGS WERE PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED, AND IT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DESCEND. IT DISAPPEARED BEHIND TREES, AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, WITNESSES HEARD THE IMPACT AND SAW A COLUMN OF SMOKE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.