- Date
- January 16, 1983, 12:24 local (20:24 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15HRPitts S1S
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830116000899A
- Case key
- 23575
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 made a rolling takeoff and apparently locked the tailwheel while turning. During later landing the aircraft became uncontrollable and ground-looped off the runway into mud where it flipped over. The tailwheel was locked out of detent and was unable to track in a straight line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15HR
- Reported as
- Pitts S1S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 004
- Airframe hours
- 670
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brigitte De Saint Phalle
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 3, 1983 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- 003 · San Andreas, CA
- Airport
- RHV · Reid-Hillview, runway 31L, 3,099 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 38
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,669 total · 613 in this make and model · 14,100 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RHV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N15HR · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.