# NTSB WPR26LA362: Smith Pitts Special S-1, N292Y, Madison, GA, September 29, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: September 29, 2026, 13:47 local (17:47 UTC)
- Place: Madison, GA
- Coordinates: 33.604123, -83.548569
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6041&lon=-83.5486&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341)
- Highest injury: Serious injuries
- Injuries: 1 serious
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: Federal Aviation Administration
- NTSB case key (mKey): 203907
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26LA362
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203907/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA362

## Preliminary report

On September 29, 2026, at about 1347 eastern daylight time, a Smith Pitts Special S-1, N292Y, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Madison, Georgia. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, on the day of the accident, he planned to fly from Madison Municipal Airport (52A), Madison, Georgia, to Atlanta Regional Airport-Falcon Field (FFC), Atlanta, Georgia to retrieve an airplane part. The pilot indicated the flight from 52A to FFC was uneventful, and after obtaining the airplane part, he departed for the return flight to 52A. Shortly after the pilot began his descent toward 52A, the airplane suddenly experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot turned on the airplane’s fuel boost pump, but when that failed to restore engine power, he began looking for a suitable area to perform a forced landing. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane toward a clearing, the engine briefly “revved up” two or three times before losing power again. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing in the front yard of a residence. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot stated that, after he extracted himself from the airplane, he saw fuel pouring out of the airplane’s fuel tank. The airplane was recovered to a secure storage facility for examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Smith PITTS SPECIAL S-1, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=7220744), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N292Y](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N292Y), registered now, S/N 3-29-38, built 1976 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SMITH PITTS SPECIAL S-1
- Registry model: [Smith PITTS SPECIAL S-1](https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-pitts-special-s-1) (registry code 7220744) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number: 3-29-38
- Year built: 1976
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed: FFC, Atlanta, GA
- Destination: 52A, Madison, GA
- Airport: 52A, Madison Municipal Airport
- Equipment: ADS-B

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observed at: KD73, 13 nm away
- METAR: METAR KD73 291735Z AUTO 10SM CLR 27/12 A3006 RMK AO2 T02730124

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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