Stall / Spin · NTSB CEN15FA282
CHRISTEN INDUSTRIES INC PITTS S-2B — Cameron, MO
| Date | June 27, 2015 |
| Location | Cameron, MO |
| Aircraft | CHRISTEN INDUSTRIES INC PITTS S-2B |
| Purpose of flight | Air Race/Show |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-aerobatics Aerodynamic stall/spin |
| Pilot age | 50 |
| Pilot total time | 11,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 200 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The pilot was performing a series of aerobatic flight maneuvers at a low altitude during an airshow. Another airshow pilot, who was familiar with the accident pilot's airshow routine, reported that the accident pilot intended to do a 45-degree knife-edge climb, perform a "Lomcevak" maneuver, and then continue the knife-edge climb. Video recordings taken by persons on the ground showed the airplane in a knife-edge climb. The pilot then entered the Lomcevak maneuver by performing a climbing snap-roll to the left. The airplane pitched nose-down and tumbled two times to the left while descending. Rather than returning to the knife-edge climb, the airplane instead entered a left spin and completed about two and a half revolutions before it impacted the terrain. The video recordings indicated that the engine was operating throughout the flight to ground impact.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of medical, pathological, and toxicological information revealed no evidence of any medical condition or substance that would have contributed to the pilot's loss of control during performance of aerobatic maneuvers.