Greg Connell PITTS S-2SW accident near Atlanta, GA
On May 14, 2016, a Greg Connell PITTS S-2SW (airplane) was involved in an accident near Atlanta, GA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 14, 2016
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Aircraft
- Greg Connell PITTS S-2SW · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.876°N, 84.303°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160514X01501
Official records · ERA16FA182
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 14, 2016, about 1647 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Pitts S-2SW, N24CD, collided with terrain during an aerial display at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Atlanta, Georgia. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to a corporation and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as an air show flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from PDK about 1642. The pilot of the Pitts was performing air show maneuvers and was part of a flight of two with the other show pilot flying an MX2 airplane. The MX2 pilot reported that he and the Pitts pilot flew a practice routine the day before the accident. Before the accident flight, he and the Pitts pilot extensively briefed the show routine, then drove out to the "box," and "walked through the maneuvers" several times to prepare. The MX2 pilot stated that he and the Pitts pilot were well prepared for the airshow. After uneventful departures, the two pilots joined up into formation with the Pitts pilot in the lead and the MX2 pilot on his right wing. The routine began uneventfully, with the formation entering the show box from behind the crowd at 1,000 ft above ground level (agl). They performed a "switch break" with the Pitts breaking to the right and the MX2 breaking to the left. Both pilots made 180º turns back to show center with the Pitts
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain proper positioning during performance of an aerobatic maneuver and his subsequent failure to discontinue maneuvering when unable to reestablish proper positioning during a steep descent toward the ground.
More accidents in GA
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Apr 5, 1991
- Cessna 208, Sep 29, 1985
- Beech 400, Dec 11, 1991
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Aug 21, 1995
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Apr 20, 1982
Browse: Georgia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
