Amateur-built Pitts Special accident near Fulton, Missouri, February 22, 2006
On February 22, 2006 at about 10:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Pitts Special, registered N55MW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fulton, Missouri (Sky-Go Farms Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The altitude/clearance not obtained/maintained during landing by the pilot. Contributing factors were the trees, the embankment, the runway length, and the reduced visual lookout during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 2006 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fulton, Missouri · Sky-Go Farms Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pitts Special
- Registration
- N55MW · registry record · serial MW-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental amatuer-built airplane impacted terrain during a visual approach to landing on an 1,800 foot long turf runway at a private airstrip. The pilot stated that due to trees at the approach end of the runway, a steeper than normal glide path is required. He said that during the approach, he could not slip the airplane to gain forward visibility because it was too slow and steep. The airplane impacted an embankment at the approach end of the runway during landing and nosed over.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,155 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,009 as pilot in command; 126 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,063 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2005; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-B4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTT Fulton MO at 9:45 pm
- Destination: 73MU
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,800 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from COU, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.