# Accident 20020925037989A: Amtr PITTSS2C, Sheridan, IN, September 25, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 25, 2002, 15:08 local time
- Place: Sheridan, IN
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.1302° N, 86.2108° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1302&lon=-86.2108&mi=10
- Aircraft: N116PS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N116PS-2017-07-19) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aviat S-2C (registry code 8130001, https://openairdocs.org/model/aviat-s-2c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR PITTSS2C
- Reported engine: LYC AEIO540D4A5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 5,000 total, 280 in this make and model, 90 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI02FA294](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02FA294) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020925037989A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2002, AT 1708 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AVIAT S-2C, N116PS, OPERATED BY FLY AEROBATIC, WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN DURING AN AEROBATIC FLIGHT NEAR SHERIDAN, INDIANA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 91 LOCAL FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND PRIVATE PILOT WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE TERRY AIRPORT, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AT 1655. A WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING THE AIRPLANE PERFORM AEROBATIC MANEUVERS ADJACENT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE FOR APPROX. FIVE MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. HE STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO APPROX. 1,500-2,000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND IN A "PURE VERTICAL MANEUVER" WHICH ENDED IN A TAIL SLIDE. THE AIRPLANE THEN FELL BACKWARDS TOWARDS THE GROUND FOR APPROX. 200 FEET AND BEGAN TO SPIN INVERTED FOR APPROX. 6-10 TURNS. HE STATED THAT THE "PILOTS WERE STRUGGLING WITH POWER TRYING TO OVERCOME THE SPIN (STALL)." HE ADDED THE AIRPLANE BROKE OUT OF THE "STALL-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 CHI02FA294](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02FA294), Sep 25, 2002: Aviat S-2C (N116PS), Sheridan, IN, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude and airspeed while performing an aerobatic maneuver. Contributing factors were the pilot-in-command exceeding the aircraft weight and balance, and…

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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