Jordan Bruce C PITTS S2E accident near Apex, NC
On March 8, 2017, a Jordan Bruce C PITTS S2E (airplane) was involved in an accident near Apex, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 8, 2017
- Place
- Apex, NC
- Aircraft
- Jordan Bruce C PITTS S2E · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.752°N, 78.864°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170308X71845
Official records · ERA17FA123
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 8, 2017, at 1537 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Pitts S2E, N30BJ, was substantially damaged after it impacted trees and terrain while on approach to Cox Airport (NC81), Apex, North Carolina. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal local flight, which originated about 1500. According to witnesses, the airplane was descending on approach to runway 9 at NC81. One witness reported that, when the airplane passed overhead, the engine "sounded like it was running perfectly." Another witness reported seeing the airplane approaching the runway at an angle before the airplane went out of her line of sight. A third witness stated that the airplane "rolled inverted" before it impacted a field about 300 feet short of the threshold of runway 9. Several witnesses reported that they heard two "booms." PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. The pilot was issued an FAA third-class medical certificate on October 17, 2016. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated a total of 1,933.2 hours of flight time. In the previous year, he had accumulated 9.4 hours of flight time, all of which were in the accident airplane. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION According to FAA records, the
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the final approach to the runway in gusting tailwind conditions, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.
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Browse: North Carolina
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
