- Date
- March 5, 1991, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Glens Falls, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N98RLLatham Pitts Special S-1C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910305004179A
- Case key
- 36884
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
A loss of control on the ground due to the improper operation of flight controls by the pilot. A factor related to the accident was the variable wind.
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 flew for about 40 minutes. While in the traffic pattern the wind sock showed the wind was from 350 degrees. He received a UNICOM advisory that the favored runway was 01. The airplane touched down, the left wing raised and the pilot applied left aileron and right rudder. The airplane continued to veer left and tip to the right despite counter controls. The right wing hit, then the airplane flipped over. After the airplane nosed over the wind sock showed the wind was from 210 degrees gusting to 20 knots. The maximum crosswind component for the pitts special is twenty-three knots. Between 1340 to 1540 frequent moderate and isolated severe turbulence below 8000 feet with low level wind shear was forecast on a line from montreal to nantucket.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98RL
- Reported as
- Latham Pitts Special S-1C (PITTS SPEC)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 645H
- Airframe hours
- 1,648
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Michael J. Smith
- Registered owner
- Michael J. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1990 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- GFL · Glens Falls, NY
- Airport
- GFL · Warren County, runway 1, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.