# Accident 20000808008239A: Amtr SPITFIRE9, Lakeland, FL, August 8, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 8, 2000, 08:50 local time - Place: Lakeland, FL - Airport: Lakeland Regional Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 28.0391° N, 81.8990° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.0391&lon=-81.8990&mi=10 - Aircraft: N355DE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N355DE-2018-01-18) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Time Warp TIME WARP SPITFIRE 9 (registry code 0560767, https://openairdocs.org/model/time-warp-time-warp-spitfire-9) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR SPITFIRE9 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 1,500 total, 1 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA00LA234](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA234) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000808008239A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON AUGUST 7, 2000 THE PILOT MADE TWO HIGH SPEED TAXI RUNS AND WAS UNABLE TO GET THE TAIL OF AIRCRAFT OFF THE GROUND. PILOT STATED THE AT THE AIRCRAFT GOT LIGHT ON THE MAIN GEAR AT APPROXIMATELY 65 KNOTS BUT WAS UNSURE IF TAIL LEFT THE GROUN. THE FOLLOWING MOURNING, AUGUST 8, 2000 THE PILOT INITIATED A HIGH SPEED TAXI RUN ON RUNWAY 9. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE FOR A MOMENT PITCHED OVER AND THEN STRUCK THE RUNWAY VERY HARD ON ALL THREE WHEELS. THE AIRCRAFT THEN WENT INTO A STEEP CLIMB TO APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL BEFORE LEVELING OFF AND DROPPING STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE RUNWAY IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH VERY LITTLE FORWARD MOMENTUM. AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET FROM POINT OF IMPACT. PILOT WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD TO THE SCENE. (.4) THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THIS AIRPLANE AFTER BEING BUILT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN DEPARTING FROM RUNWAY 9, CLIMB AT A STEEP NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE TO AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 150 TO 200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND; FALL FLAT TO THE GROUND, IMPACTING RIGHT SIDE UP, AND FLAT. VIDEOTAPE, MADE BY A RELATIVE OF THE PILOT, REVEALED THAT THE PILOT WAS HEARD SAYING HE WAS HAVING DIFFICUL TY IN GETTING THE TAIL UP. HE TOLD THE PEOPLE PRESENT, '...IT'S A BUGGER BACK THERE,' REFERRING TO THE TAIL COMING UP. IN ADDITION, HE SAID, '...I SHOULD HAVE MORE ELEVATOR AUTHORITY.' HE SAID THAT HE HAD THE SPEED UP TO 70 KNOTS, THE STICK FULL FORWARD, THE TAIL WOULD NOT COME UP, AND '...THAT THE AIRCRAFT MAY NEED A LARGER HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR TO ATTAIN SUFFICIENT ELEVATOR AUTHORITY.' NO WORK TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM WAS ACCOMPLISHED PRIOR TO THE ATTEMPTED FLIGHT. THE VIDEOTAPE INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE MIGHT HAVE BEEN OVERWEIGHT OR TAIL HEAVY, OR PERHAPS BOTH. INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO APPARENT AIRFRAME FAILURE. THE CONTROL SURFACES WERE HEAVILY COATED WITH BONDO TO SMOOTH THEM OUT. A PIECE OF BONDO WAS CHIPPED FROM THE AILERON THAT MEASURED 3/16 OF AN INCH THICK. THE LISTED EMPTY WEIGHT WAS 1,300 POUNDS, AND THE GROSS WEIGHT WAS 2,000 POUNDS. THE ACTUAL WEIGHT SHOWN FOR CERTIFICATION WAS EMPTY WEIGHT 1,779 POUNDS, AND GROSS WEIGHT 2,400 POUNDS. CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE ELEVATOR CABLES, BUT THE TAIL SECTION AND CABLES WERE CUT TO EXTRACT THE PILOT FROM THE WRECKAGE. CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED TO ALL THE FLIGHT CONTROLS. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA00LA234](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA234), Aug 8, 2000: Eachon Time Warp Spitfire 9 (N355DE), Lakeland, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: a loss of control which resulted in an inadvertent stall at too low an altitude to allow recovery. Factors in this accident were, the pilot/owner did not verify that the airplane was balanced before… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.