Amateur-built TIME WARP SPITFIRE 9 accident near Lakeland, Florida, August 8, 2000
On August 8, 2000 at about 12:50 pm local time, a amateur-built TIME WARP SPITFIRE 9, registered N355DE, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Linder Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of control which resulted in an inadvertent stall at too low an altitude to allow recovery. Factors in this accident were, the pilot/owner did not verify that the airplane was balanced before the flight, and he did not perform any weight or balance checks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2000 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeland, Florida · Lakeland Linder Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TIME WARP SPITFIRE 9 TIME WARP
- Registration
- N355DE · no longer on the register · serial 201
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was the first flight of this airplane after being built. The airplane was seen departing from runway 9, climb at a steep nose high attitude to an altitude of about 150 to 200 feet above the ground; fall flat to the ground, impacting right side up, and flat. Videotape, made by a relative of the pilot, revealed that the pilot was heard saying he was having difficulty in getting the tail up. He told the people present, '...it's a bugger back there,' referring to the tail coming up. In addition, he said, '...I should have more elevator authority.' He said that he had the speed up to 70 knots, the stick full forward, the tail would not come up, and '...that the aircraft may need a larger horizontal stabilizer and elevator to attain sufficient elevator authority.' No work to correct this problem was accomplished prior to the attempted flight. The videotape indicated that the airplane might have been overweight or tail heavy, or perhaps both. Inspection of the wreckage revealed no apparent airframe failure. The control surfaces were heavily coated with bondo to smooth them out. A piece of bondo was chipped from the aileron that measured 3/16 of an inch thick. The listed empty weight was 1,300 pounds, and the gross weight was 2,000 pounds. The actual weight shown for certification was empty weight 1,779 pounds, and gross weight 2,400 pounds. Continuity was established through the elevator cables, but the tail section and cables were cut to extract the pilot from the wreckage. Control continuity was established to all the flight controls.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 1 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Chevrolet V8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAL at 12:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from LAL
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.