Amateur-built PITTS SPECIAL WSC-1 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, April 12, 1993
On April 12, 1993 at about 12:00 pm local time, a amateur-built PITTS SPECIAL WSC-1, registered N12RW, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN THE COCKPIT CAME LOOSE AND JAMMED THE RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1993 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PITTS SPECIAL WSC-1 PITTS SPEC
- Registration
- N12RW · no longer on the register · serial 1589048
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A SERIES OF UNLIMITED CATEGORY MANEUVERS. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DURING AN INVERTED OVER THE TOP LOOPING TYPE OF MANEUVER, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED AN INVERTED FLAT SPIN. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN INVERTED. THE PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHER HAD BEEN SECURED BY TIEWRAPS TO THE LOWER COCKPIT SUPPORT TUBES FORWARD OF THE PILOT CONTROL STICK. A DENT ON THE SIDE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER MATCHED THE DIAMETER OF THE SUPPORT TUBE NEAR THE RIGHT RUDDER PEDAL. METALLURGICAL EVALUATION OF BLACK SMUDGES ON EACH SIDE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND THE PILOT'S SHOE SOLE WERE CHEMICALLY SIMILAR. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE INDICATED THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER CAME LOOSE DURING THE FLIGHT ROUTINE AND JAMMED BETWEEN THE SUPPORT TUBE AND THE PILOT'S RIGHT FOOT ON THE RUDDER PEDAL. SHOE MATTER WAS ALSO SMEARED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from FTW, 10 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.