- Date
- October 5, 1994, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Plant City, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2997GPitts S1C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941005033359A
- Case key
- 37684
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot in command to maintain directional control during landing resulting in the aircraft running off the side of the runway and nosing over in soft terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While landing the aircraft bounced and the nose turned to the left. The aircraft touched down again and before the pilot could regain directional control the aircraft ran off the left side of the runway and nosed over in mud.
Factual narrative
On October 5, 1994, about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Pitts S1C, N2997G, registered to David F. Bland, ran off the runway and nosed over while landing at Plant City Airport, Plant City, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 pleasure flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the airline transport-rated pilot was not injured. The flight originated at Plant City, Florida, on October 5, 1994, about 0830.
The pilot stated that during landing the aircraft touched down on runway 27 at about 60 knots and bounced slightly. The aircraft's nose cocked 20 degrees to the left and the aircraft touched down again. The aircraft then proceeded on a 240-heading and ran off the runway. After traveling about 50 feet the aircraft encountered soft terrain and nosed over onto its back.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2997G
- Reported as
- Pitts S1C
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- BM01
- Airframe hours
- 1,735
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-D1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bland, David F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 11, 1994 · 35 hours before
- Airport
- X17 · Plant City, runway 27, 3,350 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Military
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 46 in this make and model · 3,500 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2997G · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.