- Date
- January 23, 1983, 16:25 local (Jan 24, 1983, 00:25 UTC)
- Place
- Athol, ID
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N56TCromwell/Pitts S-1S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830123001549A
- Case key
- 39597
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The plt tookoff with an estimated 7 gal of fuel on board. While performing aerobatic maneuver, he entered a vertical, climbing, power-on maneuver. Witnesses reported that the acft climbed to zero airspeed at about 2500 ft AGL. Reportedly, the acft then slid backward and entered an inverted flat spin. Power remained on for about half of the descent. When the power was reduced, the acft entered an upright spin and continued to descend in this mode until ground impact. Interviews with other plts, familiar with the flt characteristics of the pitts, revealed that at a low state of fuel, the center-of-gravity is in the aft range. They reported a power reduction is necessary to recover from an inverted spin. They also stated that intentional spins were not a normal part of this plt's aerobatic routine. No malfunction of the acft or plt impairment was found during the investigation.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56T
- Reported as
- Cromwell/Pitts S-1S
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 532-42-45391
- Airframe hours
- 160
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Norton Aero Limited
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1982 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- S62 · Henley Aerodrome
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 20 in this make and model · 950 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.