- Date
- September 7, 1992, 14:32 local (19:32 UTC)
- Place
- Council Bluffs, IA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N90LBCurt Hoffstad Pitts S1-S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920907035229A
- Case key
- 15214
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 aircraft control while maneuvering during aerobatic flight.
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 the accident airplane was performing a low level aerobatic routine at an airshow. Witnesses observed the airplane enter a flat spin following a vertical climb. The pilot was able to stop the spin rotation but was unable to return to level forward flight before colliding with terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90LB
- Reported as
- Curt Hoffstad Pitts S1-S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- CH1977
- Airframe hours
- 616
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Parmley Aviation
- Registered owner
- Parmley Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 30, 1992 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- CBF
- Destination
- CBF
- Airport
- CBF · Council Bluffs Muni Airpt, runway 31, 4,100 × 75 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 225 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,900 ft
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OMA, 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.