- Date
- November 3, 2019, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Monument Valley, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- C-GMEEPitts S1
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 100531
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's failure to maintain directional control during landing after a wing struck vegetation, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent ground-loop.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, while conducting a three-point landing, the biplane's lower right wing struck vegetation along the edge of the runway. The biplane then veered right off the runway. She decided to abort the landing and added power to go around, but the biplane ground looped to the left, and both lower wings struck the ground. The biplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both lower wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the biplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped biplane reported that, while conducting a 3-point landing, the lower right wing struck vegetation along the edge of the runway. The biplane veered to the right off the runway. She decided to abort the landing and added power to go around, but the biplane ground looped to the left and both lower wings struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to fuselage and both lower wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- C-GMEE
- Reported as
- Pitts S1 (C)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7-0199
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 920
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 13, 2019
- Departed
- PGA · Page, AZ
- Destination
- UT25 · Monument Valley, UT
- Airport
- UT25 · Monument Valley, runway 16, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2019
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 350 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
- Observed at
- KBDG, 48 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 20, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 780 KB in all.