Aviat Pitts S-1T accident near Fillmore, California, June 12, 2005
On June 12, 2005, a Aviat Pitts S-1T, registered N647J, was destroyed in an accident near Fillmore, California (Camarillo 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 pilot's failure to affect timely recovery from an intentional inverted flat spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2005
- Place
- Fillmore, California · Camarillo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat Pitts S-1T
- Registration
- N647J · no longer on the register · serial 1027
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aerobatic experimental airplane impacted terrain when the pilot was unable to recover from an intentional inverted flat spin. According to the pilot's written statement, he intentionally entered the airplane into a left turning inverted flat spin after practicing other aerobatic maneuvers. The pilot tried several recommended recovery methods; however, the airplane did not exit from the spin. The pilot elected to bailout of the airplane. The pilot's parachute opened successfully and he landed approximately 50 feet from where the airplane impacted the ground. The pilot reported experiencing no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane during the accident flight.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,700 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 11:35 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from CMA, 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.