Christen Industries Pitts S-2B accident near Longmont, CO
On April 26, 2003, a Christen Industries Pitts S-2B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Longmont, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 26, 2003
- Place
- Longmont, CO
- Aircraft
- Christen Industries Pitts S-2B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.233°N, 105.150°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030428X00580
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 26, 2003, at 1215 mountain daylight time, a Christen Industries, Pitts S-2B, N399DB, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed when it impacted into a field 3 miles north of Longmont, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and a commercial pilot-rated passenger on board the airplane were fatally injured. The local flight originated at Boulder, Colorado, at 1000. Several witnesses observed the airplane prior to the accident. One witness said the airplane had been doing aerobatics in the area - "loops and figure eights" The witness said as the airplane proceeded eastward, it got lower in altitude. The witness said, "He was about 500 feet over the field, he did a low loop and came back up the backside of the loop in what appeared to be an attempt at a hammerhead stall. The engine sputtered and quit and there wasn't room for a recovery." Another witness said he was driving north and saw the airplane overhead. He said the airplane had just done a loop and was going up vertically. The witness said he lost sight of the airplane. When he saw the airplane again, it was coming down at nearly an 80-degree angle until it impacted into the field. A third witness said he heard the sound of the airplane's engine change suddenly. He said he looked up to see the airplane low to the ground and heading straight down. He said, "The engine sound was as if the engine had quit." A fourth witness said the airplan
Probable cause
the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision that resulted in fuel exhaustion and his entering an aerobatic maneuver with insufficient altitude. Factors contributing to the accident were the low airspeed and low altitude, and the fuel exhaustion.
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Browse: Colorado · Christen aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
