- Date
- July 31, 1990, 10:38 local (14:38 UTC)
- Place
- East Jordan, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N15ZPitts SA-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900731029309A
- Case key
- 14471
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-in-command's failure to maintain altitude during low altitude aerobatics.
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 of a homebuilt aerobatic biplane was performing low altitude aerobatics for friends. The airplane was flying inverted at an estimated altitude of 300 feet above the ground when it descended and collided with the ground. Witnesses estimated its angle of descent and speed to be 60 degrees and 170 m.p.h., respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15Z
- Reported as
- Pitts SA-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 01
- Airframe hours
- 728
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ziegler, Donald C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1990 · 2 hours before
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
- 73
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,220 total · 270 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVC, 38 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.