# Accident 19970920027629A: Child S2APITTS, San Marcos, TX, September 20, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 20, 1997, 13:15 local time
- Place: San Marcos, TX
- Airport: San Marcos Municipal Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.8802° N, 97.9191° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.8802&lon=-97.9191&mi=10
- Aircraft: N73EW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N73EW-2013-05-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerotek PITTS S-2A (registry code 0110201, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerotek-pitts-s-2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-360 series (registry code 17025, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CHILD S2APITTS
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA353](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA353) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970920027629A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FAILED TIMELY RECOVERY FROM A AIRSHOW SPIN. (-23) ON SEPTEMBER 20, 1997, AT 1315 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN EROTEK PITTS S-2A AEROBATICS AIRPLANE, N73EW, WAS DESTROYED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR SAN MARCOS, TEXAS. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE, WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE AEROBATICS DEMONSTRATIONS FLIGHT WHICH ORIGINATED FROM THE SAN MARCOS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS PERFORMING AT THE SIXTH ANNUAL CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE AT THE SAN MARCOS AIRPORT. WITNESSES AT THE AIRPORT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR LEVEL ATTITUDE WHILE RECOVERING FROM A SPIN.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97LA353](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA353), Sep 20, 1997: Aerotek Pitts S-2A (N73EW), San Marcos, TX, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's loss of control while performing aerobatics resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was the lack of altitude available for recovery.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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