- Date
- June 2, 1989, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Henryetta, OK
- Injuries
- 3 serious, 2 minor; on the ground: 2 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N64652Pitts S-1S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890602014239A
- Case key
- 22773
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
An engine power loss due to the separation and departure of an exhaust stack. The stack failed due to poor weld. Factor(s) was: the terrain conditions of the selected forced landing site.
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
Power loss occurred due to separation and departure of lower 1/2 rt exhaust stack. Plt made a forced landing on the 2 northbound lanes of a divided hwy. on short final, the acft struck power lines, crashed, and slid into a truck travelling north. A passenger car, travelling south, became entangled in the wires and was subsequently rear ended by another behicle. The power line poles were masked from view by trees on both sides of the road. Examination of the exhaust stack revealed that it had undergone extensive post-manufacture repairs in the area of the separation. There was evidence of extensive weld fusion zone porosity in the area that had been welded. Weld fusion zone porosity has been attributed in the past to poor surface preparation and weld repair techniques.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N64652
- Reported as
- Pitts S-1S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 731-H
- Airframe hours
- 55
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Arsenault, Donald S.
- Registered owner
- Lorene Swahn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 25, 1988 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- MLC · Mc Alester, OK
- Destination
- BVO · Bartlesville, OK
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 15 in this make and model · 2,300 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MLC, 35 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.