Pitts S-1C N6389
19 March 1988 · Carson City, Nevada, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 19 March 1988 at about 18:15 local time, a Pitts S-1C registered N6389 was involved in an accident near Carson City, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 18:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Carson City, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- Carson Airport (O04)
- Coordinates
- 39.1402, -119.7109
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-1C
- Registration
- N6389
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Reno → Carson City
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA88FA060
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE CARSON ARPT, N6389 (PITTS S-1C) CIRCLED OVERHEAD & THEN DESCENDED TO TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE WHILE ON THE DOWNWIND LEG TO RUNWAY 27. THE PILOT BROADCAST VIA VHF HIS LOCATION AND INTENTION ON BASE AND FINAL. WHILE ESTABLISHED ON FINAL AND APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD TO RUNWAY 27, AND AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET AGL, N6389 COLLIDED WITH N3545 (NIEUPORT). IMPACT MARKS INDICATED THAT N6389 STRUCK THE UPPER LEFT WING OF N3545 WITH ITS WHEELS. THE LOWER RIGHT WING OF N6389 THEN DISINTEGRATED AS IT PASSED THROUGH THE PROPELLER ARC OF N3545. NEITHER PILOT REPORTED SEEING THE OTHER AIRCRAFT AND BOTH AIRCRAFT CRASHED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. NEITHER AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH ANY POSITION, ANTICOLLISION OR STROBE LIGHTS. ALTHOUGH BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE BIPLANES (EQUIPPED WITH UPPER AND LOWER WINGS) IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED WHETHER THIS DESIGN HAD ANY BEARING IN OBSTRUCTING EITHER PILOT'S VIEW OF THE OTHER AIRCRAFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitts S-1C S-1C | N6389 | - | Destroyed |
| Kitchen NEIUPORT 24 BIS NEIUPORT 2 | N3545 | - | Destroyed |
Other Pitts S-1C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1987 | Pitts S-1C | Clearwater, Florida, United States | Boutell, John | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jul 1984 | Pitts S-1C | Port Sanilac, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 1983 | Pitts S-1C | Kissimmee, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1994 | Pitts S-1C | Galeville, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1981 | Pitts S-1C | Plano, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Dec 1981 | Pitts S-1C | Kadoka, South Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1988 | Beechcraft 65 | Elko, Nevada, United States | Airborne Geophysics | Fatal | 2 |
| 13 Oct 1988 | Bell 47G-3B2 | Cottonwood Canyon, Nevada, United States | Bureau of Land Management | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 1988 | Cessna 310G | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jul 1988 | Applebay ZUNI 2 | Wellington, Nevada, United States | Diane E. Weidenhammer | Fatal | 1 |
| 19 Feb 1988 | Piper PA-31T | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Executive Air Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 1988 | Cessna 152 | Verdi, Nevada, United States | Oroville Aviation | Fatal | 1 |