Aviat Pitts S2B accident near Parkland, Florida, March 3, 2004
On March 3, 2004 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Aviat Pitts S2B, registered N61PS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Parkland, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in an off-airport precautionary landing to preclude fuel exhaustion, which resulted in damage to the airplane during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 2004 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Parkland, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat Pitts S2B
- Registration
- N61PS · registry record · serial 5230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that an earlier flight had occurred, and that fuel had been ordered, but it was not delivered and placed in the airplane's fuel tanks. He further stated that the refueling error was not detected during the preflight inspection. He said they departed from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, and flew to the practice area to perform aerobatics, and as he rolled the airplane inverted, the engine hesitated. He said he immediately recognized that the airplane had not been refueled after the previous flight. Rather than fly over populated areas, the pilot said he elected to make a precautionary landing on a dirt road close to the practice area, and during the rollout the airplane veered to the left, off the dirt road and nosed over into a water filled canal, incurring damage.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,557 hours in all; 1,887 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 2,417 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 20, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,201 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 2003; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO540D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 8:00 pm
- Destination: FXE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from FXE, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N61PS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.