- Date
- August 10, 1991, 16:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Scappoose, OR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N77PWChristen Industries Pitts S-2B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910810033019A
- Case key
- 41333
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 misjudgment of altitude, while performing an aerobatic maneuver, and his failure to maintain ground clearance.
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 aeorbatic maneuvers at a low altitude. While maneuvering, the aircraft entered a power dive and the pilot did not recover before it impacted the ground in a steep nose down attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N77PW
- Reported as
- Christen Industries Pitts S-2B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5181
- Airframe hours
- 159
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Edwin M. Stanley
- Registered owner
- Edwin M. Stanley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 1991 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- PDX · Portland, OR
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,871 total · 131 in this make and model · 23 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX, 12 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.