Pitts S1S accident near Lake Wales, Florida, May 21, 2005
On May 21, 2005 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Pitts S1S, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N5WD, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Wales, Florida (Chalet Suzanne Air Strip 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
Improper maintenance inspection by other maintenance personnel, which resulted in a loose fuel line fitting going undetected, a fuel leak onto exhaust piping, and a fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2005 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Wales, Florida · Chalet Suzanne Air Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S1S, amateur-built · all S1Ss on the register
- Registration
- N5WD · registry record · serial 105D
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated while in flight about 6,500 feet, near his departure airport, as he was maneuvering he smelled fuel, and felt a spray of fuel on his leg. He immediately dove the airplane and landed uneventfully. After taxiing to parking, and upon securing the engine, the airplane suddenly became engulfed with flames. Postcrash examination of the airplane revealed that a fuel line had become loose and had detached from the fuel servo fitting while inflight. According to the pilot, post-crash examination of the airplane revealed that a fuel line that had become loose and had detached from the fuel servo fitting while inflight. He said that while the propeller was turning, the slipstream kept the fuel away from the exhaust piping, however, once the engine was secured, the fuel leaked on to the exhaust piping and a fire had erupted. The pilot said that the airplane's logbook showed that it had last received an inspection, and had been returned to service on January 20, 2005. He also said purchased the airplane on May 17, 2005, and had only flown it for about 3 or 4 hours.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 25,000 as pilot in command; 40 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: X25 Lake Wales FL at 5:15 pm
- Destination: X25
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,313 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KLAL, 21 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.