No fatalities

8 Mar 2017: AEROTEK PITTS S-2A — West Palm Beach, FL

West Palm Beach, FL, United States

On 8 Mar 2017, an AEROTEK PITTS S-2A was involved in an aviation accident near West Palm Beach, FL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in crosswind conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 10 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel airplane nosed over after departing a grass runway into marshy terrain during a full-stop landing following several touch-and-go landings in crosswind conditions. Substantial damage to vertical stabilizer and rudder.

Accident Details

A pilot reported that after completing 12 to 13 touch-and-go landings on a grass runway in crosswind conditions, he intended to perform a full stop landing. During the landing roll, the airplane departed the runway to the right and entered marshy terrain, where it nosed over. The vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane.

Surface Inspection

A Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector examined the grass runway a few hours after the accident and found no abnormalities with the surface.

Weather Information

The nearest automated weather observation station, located 12 nautical miles from the accident airport, recorded wind from 190° at 7 knots around the time of the accident. The pilot reported landing on runway 26 left.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcomeResponse/compensation