Aerotek PITTS S 2A accident near Sheboygan Falls, WI
On May 26, 2017, an Aerotek PITTS S 2A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sheboygan Falls, WI. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 26, 2017
- Place
- Sheboygan Falls, WI
- Aircraft
- Aerotek PITTS S 2A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 43.765°N, 87.917°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170526X62447
Official records · CEN17FA197
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Memorandum for Record - Communication Summary -- Mrs. Hall: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Memorandum for Record – Communication Summary -- Det. L. Dassler: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Memorandum for Record - Communication Summary - J. White CFI: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Memorandum for Record - Communication Summary - S. Anderson - Pitts Test Pilot: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Memorandum for Record - Communication Summary - C. Stein Engberg - Academy Pitts CFI: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 26, 2017, about 1230 central daylight time, an Aerotek Pitts S 2A biplane, N67PN, impacted terrain during a descent near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The pilot and pilot rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated from the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport (SBM), near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, about 1210. The purpose of the flight was to perform a fly-by over a nearby racetrack. The pilot rated passenger in the front seat reportedly sent a text about 1220 during the fly-by. According to a flight instructor at SBM, about 1210, he and some students were listening to the common traffic advisory frequency and heard the pilot report that the Bonanza was on a straight in final for runway 13. The flight instructor observed a red biplane (the accident airplane) depart runway 13 and make a "sharp" left turn to the north. The instructor reported that the turn was low to the ground and that the airplane cleared the trees by 50 to 100 ft. The airplane then departed to the west/southwest at a "lower than normal" altitude. A witness near the racetrack reported that she heard the sound of an airplane about 1230 and that, seconds later, the sound "abruptly ceased." She observed the airplane traveling eastbound in a level attitude for several seconds before
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control following a partial loss of engine power during a low-level aerobatic maneuver; the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined during postaccident examination of the engine. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's exceedance of the airplane's published maximum gross weight and center of gravity limits for the acrobatic category
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Browse: Wisconsin
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
