[cashflyer]

NTSB Preliminary is out now.

Jim was no novice. He was a commercial pilot, and has been an accomplished aerobatic competitor for some time now. It seems that he was unable to recover from an inverted flat spin. It makes me wonder if there was a mechanical issue that prevented recovery, or if possibly he experienced a G-induced blackout.

On June 28, 2014, about 1625 central daylight time, a Skybolt experimental airplane, N619PD, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain just west of the Mid-Way Regional Airport (KJWY), Midlothian/Waxahachie, Texas. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The local flight originated approximately 1600.

According to one witness, the pilot was performing aerobatic maneuvers within the designated aerobatic box. The pilot had just completed a shoulder roll and was maneuvering when the airplane entered a flat, inverted spin between 1,000 and 1,500 feet above ground level (agl). During the spin, the nose of the airplane appeared to drop as if the pilot was attempting to recover from the flat portion of the spin. Between 300 and 500 feet agl, the rotation stopped momentarily and then continued until the airplane impacted the ground.

The airplane came to rest, inverted, to the west of runway 18. The main wreckage included both bi-wing assemblies, the engine and propeller assembly, the fuselage, and the empennage. All components were located at the impact site.

NTSB Identification: CEN14FA325