Pitts S2 N600DF
16 August 2019 · New Orleans, Louisiana, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 16 August 2019 at about 20:06 local time, a Pitts S2 registered N600DF, operated by Drug Fighter LLC, was involved in an accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:06
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Lakefront (NEW)
- Coordinates
- 30.0256, -90.0300
- Aircraft
- Pitts S2
- Registration
- N600DF
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1983
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Drug Fighter LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- New Orleans → New Orleans
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN19FA270
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The passenger, a TV news anchor, was filming a documentary on the pilot, which included a local flight in the pilot's aerobatic airplane. The airplane departed and turned onto the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern. The pilot requested to return to the airport but did not specify the reason for the return. A witness described the airplane as, “unstable” and “wiggling,” and said that the engine was sputtering before the airplane impacted the ground and burst into flames. The airplane impacted terrain in an approximate 45° nose-down pitch attitude and was consumed by a post-impact fire. Examination of the flight controls and engine did not reveal any obvious pre-impact anomalies, although severe fire damage precluded complete examination. The wooden propeller blades were severely fractured and splintered, consistent with powered rotation at the time of impact. The reason for the loss of control and impact with terrain could not be determined based on the available information.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Pitts S2 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jan 2019 | Pitts S2 | Kliprivier, South Africa | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 2019 | Pitts S2 | Morrisville, Vermont, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 2019 | Pitts S2 | Stonor Oxforshire, United Kingdom | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 16 Jun 2019 | Pitts S2 | Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Canada | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 May 2020 | Pitts S2 | Carcassonne, France | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Apr 2020 | Pitts S2 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jun 2019 | Aeronca 65 C | Gilliam, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 2019 | Cessna 140 | Reeves, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2019 | Piper PA 22 | Pollock, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2019 | Cessna U206 | Hopedale, Louisiana, United States | Ultra Light Flights LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Mar 2019 | Cessna A185 | Lafayette, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 2019 | Cessna 172 | Kaplan, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |