- Date
- April 11, 1987, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Coleman, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N90DWDavis Pitts S-1S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870411009019A
- Case key
- 22209
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
The pilot had completed several aerobatic maneuvers for an air show and was in the process of doing a series of five snap rolls at an altitude of 200-300 feet AGL when the accident occurred. Witnesses observed the nose of the acft to drop during the third snap roll and continue to drop during the fourth and fifth roll. After completion of the fifth roll the nose was observed to be almost straight down. The acft was then observed to start to recover but collided with the ground during the pull out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90DW
- Reported as
- Davis Pitts S-1S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1940JD
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tennyson L. Wharton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- COL · Coleman Municipal
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 640 total · 200 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.