Christen PITTS S-2B N5351N
18 July 1997 · Englewood, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 July 1997 at about 13:15 local time, a Christen PITTS S-2B registered N5351N, operated by Terrance P. Sonday, was involved in an accident near Englewood, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Englewood, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Front Range (FTG)
- Coordinates
- 39.6409, -104.9907
- Aircraft
- Christen PITTS S-2B
- Registration
- N5351N
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Terrance P. Sonday
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97LA273
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
Inaccurate compensation for wind conditions and improper recovery from a bounced landing by the CFI pilot in command. A factor was a crosswind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During a touch and go landing at an intermediate airport, the flight instructor said he encountered a strong crosswind and performed a bounced landing. During the ensuing takeoff, the aircraft struck the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) control box located beside the runway. The instructor flew the aircraft back to the departure airport and during landing the left main landing gear collapsed. Subsequent inspection revealed damage to the landing gear, left lower wing, and the bottom of the fuselage. Recorded wind at the time of the encounter with the PAPI constituted a left quartering tailwind at 3.5 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Christen PITTS accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Dec 1999 | Christen PITTS S-2B | Shamokin, Pennsylvania, United States | Jeff W. Maurer | No injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 2000 | Christen PITTS S-2B | Weston, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Jun 2001 | Christen PITTS S-2A | Michelstadt, Germany | Reinhard Felok | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1993 | Christen PITTS S-2B | Hawthorne, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 1993 | Christen PITTS S1-T | Naples, Florida, United States | Cutshaw, Michael H. | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1993 | Christen PITTS S-2B | Cayenne, French Guiana | Desouza, Joel Cardoso | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-32-300T | Del Norte, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-28-140 | Leadville, Colorado, United States | Michael S. Luther | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Rans S-12 Airaile S-12 | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Cessna 305A | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Cessna 210 | Peyton, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 1997 | Let BLANIK L-13 | Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |