Accident Details
On August 12, 2025, at approximately 1019 mountain standard time, a Pitts S-1T (registration N51HC) was substantially damaged when it crashed near Goodyear, Arizona. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Sequence of Events
The pilot did not make radio contact with air traffic control, and no automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data was recorded for the flight. Federal Aviation Administration radar data showed a primary target beginning near the departure point at 1014:47 and ending near the accident site at 1019:37. The track indicated the airplane departed Goodyear and flew south. During the final 14 seconds of data, the target showed a progressively increasing bank angle in a left turn, consistent with a spiral. No altitude data was available.
A witness reported seeing the pilot taxi the airplane at an unusually high speed without a headset, with the red "remove before flight" pitot tube cover still installed. The pilot's spouse was running after the airplane, appearing distressed, and stated the pilot was on medication and should not be flying. The witness saw the airplane make a sharp left 180-degree turn onto Taxiway Alpha, then apply full power and depart from the taxiway within a few hundred feet, briefly contacting dirt between the taxiway and runway. Airport security cameras confirmed the departure from the taxiway.
Background
The pilot's spouse stated that she and the pilot had returned from a month-long European vacation on June 14. After returning, the pilot could not sleep, initially attributed to jet lag. After a week, he sought medical care but was limited in medication due to federal aviation regulations. Despite attempts, he suffered severe insomnia, visited the emergency room twice, and took medical leave from his airline job. He had appointments for specialists and a sleep study days after the accident. He obtained new medication the day before the accident and slept for five hours the night before.
On the accident day, the couple planned to pick up paperwork for a disability request from his doctor near the airport. They went to the airport to charge the airplane's battery, which had been inactive. The pilot first suggested getting coffee, then said he needed to run the engine for five minutes. They moved the airplane outside, and he started the engine. The spouse brought water and noticed his lap belt fastened. He returned the water, said goodbye, and taxied toward the runway. She ran after him, yelling that he should not fly.
Wreckage Examination
The accident site was in level desert terrain with soft sand and sporadic shrubs, about 10 nautical miles south of Goodyear Airport and 4 nautical miles west of the Sierra Estrella Mountains, at an elevation of approximately 1,150 feet mean sea level. The wreckage distribution spanned about 100 feet, oriented on a magnetic bearing of about 210 degrees. The first point of contact was a circular crater about 3 feet deep. The engine was inverted inside the crater with a large hole in the lower crankcase. The propeller hub remained attached to the crankshaft, with fractured blades and blade-tip pieces around the crater. The main wreckage was near the crater, and the tail section was folded forward over the fuselage. The airplane sustained major crush damage and fragmentation, precluding confirmation of control continuity.