- Date
- September 10, 1987, 18:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Irwin, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N290RWWoody Pitts S1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870910051669A
- Case key
- 30437
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 inability to maintain control of the aircraft during initial climbout. Inadvertent use of the rudder controls was a factor.
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 reported that just after takeoff his left foot became entangled in the left rudder controls and the rudder jammed. The homebuilt airplane entered a left bank which the pilot was not able to correct; the left wing struck trees and the airplane fell to the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N290RW
- Reported as
- Woody Pitts S1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- RW-2
- Airframe hours
- 4
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-G, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald J. Woody
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1987 · 4 hours before
- Airport
- Inter County, runway 27, 1,880 × 130 ft, grass/turf
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
- 73
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,235 total · 5 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.