Pitts S1-S accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, March 11, 1998
On March 11, 1998 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Pitts S1-S, registered N99PF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida (Zephyrhills 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 improper use of flight controls (ailerons) during a touch-and-go landing with a crosswind, resulting in a loss of directional control and subsequent nose over of the airplane. A factor relating to the accident was: the pilot's lack of total experience in kind of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1998 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Zephyrhills, Florida · Zephyrhills Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S1-S · all S1-Ss on the register
- Registration
- N99PF · registry record · serial 1-0006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was making a touch-and-go landing with a crosswind, and had not applied sufficient aileron for the crosswind. He lost directional control of the airplane, and it subsequently nosed over. The pilot had a total of 14.4 hours in the Pitt S1-S 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: 240 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 190 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,088 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 1997; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,115 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ZPH at 2:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 52 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from TPA, 35 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.