Pitts S1E N52B

Summary

On 17 November 2024 at about 20:15 local time, a Pitts S1E registered N52B was involved in an accident near Seguin, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

17 November 2024 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Seguin, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.4955, -98.1588

Aircraft

Pitts S1E

Registration

N52B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1988

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marion → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA043

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On November 17, 2024, about 1415 central standard time, a Pitts Special S-1E airplane, N52B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Seguin, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he was practicing the International Aerobatic Club Advanced Free Sequence maneuver nine, which consists of a left 1 and ½ rotation snap roll to inverted flight followed by a reverse direction ½ loop downward, when he felt the left rudder lose tension, go to the firewall, and lost rudder control. The airplane ceased the snap roll and entered an inverted spiraling descent. He regained control using aileron and elevator and stabilized the airplane in upright flight. He then found that while he had right rudder control, he was unable to center the rudder due to the unresponsive left rudder pedal. The pilot returned to Zuehl Airport (1TE4) but was unable to control the airplane’s lateral alignment with the runway until he found the broken left rudder cable and was able to manipulate the rudder flight control surface by grabbing the cable and centering the rudder. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right and the pilot attempted to correct with left rudder but was unable to overcome the friction of the tailwheel. The airplane ground looped, nosed over, and came to rest inverted which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, lower left wing, and upper wings. Postaccident examination by the pilot revealed that the left rudder cable had separated at the attachment linkage to the left rudder pedal (See figure 1). Figure 1. Broken Left Rudder Cable Additionally, according to the pilot the right rudder cable attachment loop showed evidence of frayed wires with possible corrosion of the thimble (see figure 2). Figure 2. Right Rudder Cable Attachment The airplane was retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.