- Date
- June 3, 2023, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Garden Plain, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1PWPitts S-2S
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230603006219A
- Case key
- 192302
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 pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during landing roll due to a flat tire.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During the landing roll on a grass runway, the airplane decelerated quicker than the pilot expected, pulled to the right, and nosed over which resulted in a ground loop. The right lower wing and right elevator were substantially damaged during the ground loop. Postaccident examination of the airplane showed that the right main landing gear wheel inner tube and tire was likely flat prior to landing due to an undetected cut in the inner tube. The flat tire resulted in wheel pant fairing to contact the grass runway and the airplane became uncontrollable. Following the accident, the inner tube was inflated by the pilot and an audible leak was observed from the cut rubber area. The pilot reported that the tube was replaced during last the condition inspection, and it was unknown what caused the cut in the inner tube.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1PW
- Reported as
- Pitts S-2S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1004
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 1,759
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 (Exp), 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Welkin Aero Inc, doing business as N/A
- Registered owner
- Welkin Aero Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 24, 2022
- Departed
- GRI · Grand Island, NE
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SN61 · Yoder Airpark, runway 18, 4,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Military, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 29, 2023
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 10,300 total · 560 in this make and model · 8,295 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- KICT, 9 nm away
- METAR
- SPECI KICT 032304Z 12013KT 10SM TS SCT045 SCT080TCU OVC100 26/17 A2989 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N AND NW TSB02 ONCL LTGICCG VC N-NW TCU VC VC N-NW MOV NW T02610172=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.