# Accident 20030424017609A: Aviat PITTSS2B, Millerstown, PA, April 24, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 24, 2003, 14:30 local time
- Place: Millerstown, PA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.5169° N, 77.1167° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5169&lon=-77.1167&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6085U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6085U-2004-11-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aviat PITTS S-2B (registry code 2210308, https://openairdocs.org/model/aviat-pitts-s-2b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 series (registry code 41568, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-aeio-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AVIAT PITTSS2B
- Reported engine: LYC AEIO540D4A5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC03FA088](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC03FA088) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030424017609A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON APRIL 24, 2003 AT 1430 EDT, A PITTS S-2B, N6085U, REGISTERED TO WILLIAM WILSON AND PILOTED BY WILLIAM WILSON, CRASHED WHILE PRACTICING AEROBATICS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE TWO OCCUPANTS, INSTRUCTOR WILLIAM WILSON, AND PILOT ERIC SCHAUFERT WERE FATALLY INJURED. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT CAPITAL CITY AIRPORT, NEW CUMBERLAND, PA AT 1413 EDT. WITNESS PURNELL DRESSLER OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A FLAT SPIN APPROXIMATELY 400 AGL BEFORE IMPACT. THE WRECKAGE WAS CONFINED TO SMALL AREA, AND WAS CONSISTENT WITH A FLAT SPIN. NO FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS VISIBLE.

## 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 NYC03FA088](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC03FA088), Apr 24, 2003: Aviat Pitts S-2B (N6085U), Newport, PA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's improper decision to perform aerobatics at a low altitude, which inhibited his ability to recover from an encountered flat spin. A factor related to the accident was the aft center of…

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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