- Date
- June 27, 1992, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Aurora, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N92BTPitts S2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920627021999A
- Case key
- 15480
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 restricted visual lookout from smoke entering the cockpit. Factors were smoke in the cockpit which resulted in the pilot becoming disoriented.
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 practicing aerobatic maneuvers the pilot was utilizing the factory installed smoke system. During a spin, smoke entered the cockpit and the pilot lost visual reference ques. When the condition did not dissipate quickly, he jettisoned the canopy. He saw the ground coming up quickly and leveled the wings and impacted crops and the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92BT
- Reported as
- Pitts S2B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5237
- Airframe hours
- 69
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-DA45, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomsen, Burton L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 27, 1991 · 69 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,185 total · 56 in this make and model · 1,050 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRI, 16 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.