- Date
- December 26, 1992, 11:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N92APPitts S2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921226051659A
- Case key
- 8715
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft, during the take off roll. A factor was the wind gust.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll, a gust of wind from the left caused the aircraft to veer off the runway to the right. The aircraft was substantially damaged when it struck a ditch which lies along the right side of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92AP
- Reported as
- Pitts S2B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5240
- Airframe hours
- 90
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-D45A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Waldrop, Homer V., doing business as Tar Inc.
- Registered owner
- Waldrop, Homer V.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1992 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- TCL
- Destination
- TCL
- Airport
- TCL · Tuscaloosa Municipal, runway 11, 4,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 814 total · 36 in this make and model · 664 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TCL, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.