- Date
- August 20, 1983, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Waukegan, IL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N80016Aerotek Pitts S-2A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830820043049A
- Case key
- 12019
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
While on a local flt, the acft crashed in lake Michigan about 1/2 mi from the shoreline. According to witnesses, it was flying over the water at about 100 ft, then pulled almost straight up to about 300 ft above the water, nosed over & went almost straight nose down until water impact. Later, the acft was recovered & examined, but no preimpact/mechanical malfunction or failure was found. The leading edge of the propeller blade tips were bent opposite the direction of rotation, the spark plugs were clean & fuel was found in the fuel distribution manifold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80016
- Reported as
- Aerotek Pitts S-2A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2026
- Airframe hours
- 841
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jack F. Keyser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1983 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- UGN · Waukegan, IL
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 649 total · 258 in this make and model · 527 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.