Pitts

Aerobatic performer Spencer Suderman got a nasty surprise this weekend as he was flying over the San Fernando Valley, one of the most congested parts of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Suderman was cruising at 7,500 feet on his way to Yuma, Arizona, when his propeller suddenly departed the Pitts S-1C biplane he was flying. […]

A beautiful Wolf Samson biplane, a larger version of the Pitts and the only one flying today, returned to the skies over the weekend. The airplane is owned by Tim Just of Apple Valley, California, who recently imported the airplane from Germany where it has lived since it was built by renowned airplane-builder Steve Wolf […]

Having invested the requisite years of considerable sweat, some blood and, yes, a few moist-eye moments building a single-seat Pitts Special, the project was trailered to an FBO’s hangar at Buttonville Airport, northeast of Toronto, Ontario. Here, tucked away in a corner, final assembly took place: installing and rigging the wings and controls, tensioning the […]

The pilot had just completed practice for his air show performance and was landing. The pilot stated he landed fast and while braking to make an intersection, the brakes became hot and the right brake began to fade. The airplane began to track to the left and the pilot steered the airplane between two taxi lights. The airplane impacted a taxiway sign, breaking the lower right inboard spar.

The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing at 1815 Eastern time; the private pilot received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The accident airplane and another airplane (an Extra 300L) were a flight of two flying to an aerobatic competition in Wildwood, N.J. The Extra 300L pilot and the Pitts pilot met near Stow, Mass., at 3000 feet, in “loose formation” for the flight to Wildwood. When approximately 40 miles north of Wildwood, the two aircraft initiated a descent from 8500 to 3000 feet.

The CFI and his private pilot student were initiating the stalls about 3000 feet agl and recovering by 1500 feet. During the third stall, the student pilot initiated recovery, and the airplane was descending straight ahead at about 1500 feet agl. The CFI took control of the airplane between 800 and 1000 feet, and determined the airplane was in a straight-ahead stall.

The pilot was landing to refuel. During the first attempt, he flared too high and aborted the landing. During the second landing attempt, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot added full power to go around. The airplane turned to the right, but the left wing rose and the airplane nosed down. The right and left wing tips impacted the runway as the airplane skidded down it for approximately 300 feet. The pilot had three hours of time in the airplane make/model.

At approximately 1415 Mountain time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it nosed over during a forced landing. The Commercial pilot and a passenger were not injured; visual conditions prevailed. According to the pilot, the engine began running rough, then lost all power. He made a forced landing in an open field. During the landing roll the airplane nosed over, crushing the vertical stabilizer and the top of the upper wing. He said that fuel leaking from the fuel tanks after the accident smelled like kerosene….

At about 1445 Pacific time, the aircraft sustained substantial damage following an in-flight loss of engine power and subsequent off-airport, forced landing. The Private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The pilot reported that approximately 15 minutes after takeoff, while in straight and level flight at 4000 feet msl, the engine began to run rough and eventually quit. After experiencing the loss of power, the pilot initiated a landing to a nearby open field. During the landing rollout, the airplane encountered tall grass and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage….

At about 1530 Central time, the airplane was destroyed after colliding with terrain while maneuvering. The Commercial pilot and passenger received fatal injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. Witnesses reported the the pilot had been doing aerobatics. One witness said the airplane pulled out of a loop, rolled abruptly left, and then dove into the ground….