Twente Pitts Model 12 accident near Marion, MS
On February 12, 2005, a Twente Pitts Model 12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Marion, MS. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 12, 2005
- Place
- Marion, MS
- Aircraft
- Twente Pitts Model 12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.333°N, 88.751°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050303X00262
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 12, 2005, about 1530 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built, Pitts Model 12 airplane, N20GT, was destroyed following an in-flight collision with terrain and postcrash fire, while performing low-altitude aerobatic maneuvers, about 4 miles west of Marion, Mississippi. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) local personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Topton Air Estates, Meridian, Mississippi, about 1445. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on February 13, the FAA aviation safety inspector who visited the accident site reported witnesses told him the pilot had been doing aerobatics. One witness said the airplane pulled out of a loop, rolled abruptly left, and then dove into the ground. Another witness said the airplane entered a spin and crashed. A witness also told the FAA inspector that the pilot had given several rides in the airplane prior to the accident flight. During subsequent telephone interviews, one witness told the IIC the pilot flew frequently and performed aerobatic maneuvers near the airport. He said he had flown with the pilot on several occasions and the pilot typically started maneuvers about 800-1000 feet above ground level (agl), and usually performed single maneuvers. [Federal Aviation Regulation Part 91
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while performing a low altitude, aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent, and an in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was the initiation of a low altitude aerobatic maneuver.
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Browse: Mississippi
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
