- Date
- August 18, 1990, 14:25 local (18:25 UTC)
- Place
- Hamilton, OH
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N40XTrice Pitts Special S-1S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900818033889A
- Case key
- 36486
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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
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 was performing aerobatic maneuvers (tail slide) during an air show when the propeller was observed to have stopped. The aircraft was then observed in a high rate of descent heading toward an open field before it impacted an embankment. The aircraft appeared to be in a slip attitude at impact. An examination and test run of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40X
- Reported as
- Trice Pitts Special S-1S (PITTS SPEC)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- JT-1
- Engine
- Lycoming AIO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Wilburn C. Anderson
- Registered owner
- Richard Thomas Deitz
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 3, 1990 · 981 hours before
- Departed
- HAO · Hamilton, OH
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
- 62
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 6,894 total · 612 in this make and model · 6,474 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 24,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAY, 32 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.