Pitts S1 N42JF

Summary

On 25 August 2024 at about 19:24 local time, a Pitts S1 registered N42JF was involved in an accident near Santa Paula, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 August 2024 at 19:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Paula, California, United States

Nearest airport

Santa Paula (SZP)

Coordinates

34.3506, -119.0523

Aircraft

Pitts S1

Registration

N42JF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1983

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24FA287

1 person was seriously injured.

The total loss of engine power at low altitude for reasons that could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after refueling the airplane, the pilot departed the runway on a local flight. Multiple witnesses at the airport heard the airplane’s engine make popping sounds during the airplane’s initial climb before it turned onto the left crosswind leg of the traffic pattern. The airplane continued onto the left downwind leg at a lower-than-normal traffic pattern altitude, and the engine again made popping sounds before it became quiet like it lost total power. The airplane turned left toward the runway while another airplane was on final approach to the same runway, then it made a sharp right turn back toward the downwind before it descended behind trees. The pilot of the other airplane stated that he heard no radio communications from the accident pilot and that his passenger saw the accident airplane below their position before it impacted the ground in a storage facility and erupted into flames. Postaccident and follow-up examinations of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation; however, many components exhibited extensive thermal damage that limited the examinations. The main fuel tank was mostly consumed by postimpact fire and the fuel cap was not found during the onsite examination. It is likely that the fuel cap was also consumed by postimpact fire. Both propeller blades were bent slightly aft and showed no rotational signatures. Postaccident testing performed on a fuel sample from the airport fueling pump revealed no fuel anomaly. The accident pilot’s premature left turn toward the runway was likely an emergency maneuver to immediately return to the runway due to the total loss of engine power, and the subsequent right turn was likely to avoid the other airplane that was on final approach. It is unknown whether the accident pilot attempted to provide any radio communications about the emergency return to the runway. Such communications can enhance awareness for other pilots so that they can look for and yield to an aircraft in distress.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.