Amateur-built Pitts Special accident near Coolidge, Arizona, February 6, 2005
On February 6, 2005, a amateur-built Pitts Special, registered N109WM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coolidge, Arizona (Coolidge Municipal 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 maintain an adequate altitude from the airport surface when performing an intentional low altitude flyby maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 2005
- Place
- Coolidge, Arizona · Coolidge Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pitts Special
- Registration
- N109WM · no longer on the register · serial 1973
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with terrain while the pilot was performing a low pass maneuver over the airport. After departure and upon reaching 100 feet above ground level (agl), the pilot configured the airplane in a 180-degree turn, in an effort to align the flight path parallel to the runway and perform a low pass over the airport. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane in close proximity to the airport surface, he experienced a loss of altitude, resulting in the underside of the right wing and right main landing gear simultaneously impacting the ramp's asphalt. The airplane collided with terrain and skidded several hundred feet. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,115 hours in all; 729 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,562.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2003; 5.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P08 Coolidge AZ at 11:30 pm
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,528 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from CGZ, 17 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.