Pitts S1 C-GMEE

Summary

On 3 November 2019 at about 18:45 local time, a Pitts S1 registered C-GMEE was involved in an accident near Monument Valley, Utah, United States. One person was 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.

Date

3 November 2019 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Monument Valley, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Monument Valley (UT25)

Coordinates

37.0167, -110.2006

Aircraft

Pitts S1

Registration

C-GMEE

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Page → Monument Valley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA20CA056

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing after a wing struck vegetation, which resulted in a runway excursion and subsequent ground-loop.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while conducting a three-point landing, the biplane's lower right wing struck vegetation along the edge of the runway. The biplane then veered right off the runway. She decided to abort the landing and added power to go around, but the biplane ground looped to the left, and both lower wings struck the ground. The biplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both lower wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the biplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.