April 26, Longmont, Colo. / Pitts S-2B

At 1215 mountain time, a Christen Industries Pitts S-2B crashed in a field three miles north of Longmont, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses said the airplane was in a vertical climb, ran out of airspeed, nosed over and came down in a spiral. They also reported hearing the engine surging, then fail. The airplane had departed about 2:15 earlier, and the endurance of a Pitts S-2B with full tanks is about 1.7 hours, but there was no preliminary information about a fuel stop....

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Christen Industries Pitts S-2B crashed near Longmont, killing both the pilot and passenger onboard.
  • Witnesses reported the aircraft entered a vertical climb, lost airspeed, nosed over, spiraled down, and they heard the engine surge before failing.
  • The flight duration of 2:15 hours exceeded the aircraft's typical 1.7-hour endurance with full tanks, raising questions about a potential fuel factor.
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At 1215 mountain time, a Christen Industries Pitts S-2B crashed in a field three miles north of Longmont, killing the pilot and passenger. Witnesses said the airplane was in a vertical climb, ran out of airspeed, nosed over and came down in a spiral. They also reported hearing the engine surging, then fail. The airplane had departed about 2:15 earlier, and the endurance of a Pitts S-2B with full tanks is about 1.7 hours, but there was no preliminary information about a fuel stop.

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