Amateur-built Pitts S-1 accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, June 12, 2008
On June 12, 2008 at about 12:05 pm local time, a amateur-built Pitts S-1, registered N347MM, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near St. Petersburg, Florida (St. Petersburg-Clearwater Inte 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 adequate airspeed following a partial loss of engine power, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was improper maintenance practices during the construction of the airplane, which resulted in contaminants being accidently introduced into the fuel system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2008 · about 12:05 pm local time
- Place
- St. Petersburg, Florida · St. Petersburg-Clearwater Inte · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pitts S-1
- Registration
- N347MM · no longer on the register · serial 002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner, who was also the builder of the airplane, was attempting to conduct its first flight. He taxied to the runway and encountered some engine roughness during the magneto check, but the roughness was successfully eliminated after he conducted a "lean burn-out" and a second magneto check. The pilot contacted the air traffic control tower for permission to remain in the traffic pattern and was cleared for takeoff. He taxied into position on the runway, applied full power, and was satisfied with what he "saw, heard, and felt." Since this was the initial flight of the airplane, the pilot planned to hold the airplane in ground effect after liftoff, in order to accelerate to an airspeed above the prescribed normal climbout speed. The airplane had climbed to approximately 20 feet above ground level when a partial power loss occurred. The pilot decided to abort the takeoff, but the airplane stalled and rolled "very hard" to the right. It descended, struck the runway inverted, and slid inverted to a stop. The pilot sustained minor injuries. Subsequent to the accident, the engine fuel distribution system failed a flow bench test. Examination of the system's components revealed that the fuel servo was contaminated with fragments of material similar to the fuel line material and that the screens on some of the fuel injector nozzles were partially occluded by paint. The servo contamination was a result of the pilot's self-developed shortcut for fabricating the fuel lines, and the paint was inadvertently deposited on the injector screens when the pilot painted the engine.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Fuel contamination during prior to flight
- Fuel related during initial climb defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Fabrication › Owner/builder
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel filter › strainer › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 7, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,160 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIE St. Petersburg FL at 12:05 pm
- Destination: PIE St. Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 4,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Observation at 12:13 pm from PIE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.