- Date
- December 20, 1986, 15:21 local (22:21 UTC)
- Place
- El Paso, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N16GBBeggs Pitts S-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861220068429A
- Case key
- 22182
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
Commercial pilot practicing aerobatics in pitts S1 experimental homebuilt aircraft entered spin. Pilot failed to recover control of aircraft during descent. Aircraft impacted terrain approximately 1/2 mile south of west Texas airport near El Paso, TX.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16GB
- Reported as
- Beggs Pitts S-1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 494-4
- Airframe hours
- 714
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 360 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harold G. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · November 1, 1986 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- TX04 · El Paso, TX
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
- 49
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,483 total · 85 in this make and model · 3,276 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELP, 8 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.