Timothy J Cowper PITTS SPECIAL S-1E accident near Edinburg, NY
On September 29, 2013, a Timothy J Cowper PITTS SPECIAL S-1E (airplane) was involved in an accident near Edinburg, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 29, 2013
- Place
- Edinburg, NY
- Aircraft
- Timothy J Cowper PITTS SPECIAL S-1E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.218°N, 74.116°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130929X12529
Official records · ERA13LA434
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 29, 2013, about 1555 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Cowper Pitts Special S-1E, N85AT, was destroyed following a collision with terrain after an in-flight loss of control near Edinburg, New York. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Plateau Sky Ranch Airport (1F2) about 1550. One witness was at 1F2 when the accident occurred. He stated that the accident pilot was airborne for about five minutes prior to the crash. Initially, he did not pay attention to the airplane attitude because "all sounded normal." He noticed that there was an increase in RPMs, so he turned toward the airplane and saw it "banked and nose down towards the ground." He observed the airplane disappear below the tree line and all went quiet. He ran around a hangar and observed smoke coming from the accident site. Another witness was on a nearby road and observed the accident airplane "flying upside down." The airplane was "teetering" back and forth as if trying to right itself. After about 15 seconds, it went down into the trees. Another witness reported that he observed the airplane descend "really fast" toward a tree line and suddenly come back up. The airplane then circled east again and "went straight down" into a tree line. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 55, held a private pilot certificate with airplane, single engine l
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during low-altitude maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
