Pitts S-1 accident near Durham, North Carolina, July 17, 2004
On July 17, 2004 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Pitts S-1, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N177J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Durham, North Carolina (Lake Ridge Aero Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2004 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2004
- Place
- Durham, North Carolina · Lake Ridge Aero Park · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-1, amateur-built · all S-1s on the register
- Registration
- N177J · no longer on the register · serial JR-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a witness the airplane was observed landing on runway 32. During the touchdown phase of the landing, the airplane bounced two times, followed by the pilot executing a go-around. According to the witness the airplane flew a very tight pattern circling to land again on runway 32. During the next approach to land the airplane was observed entering a "hard slip" to the left then nosed up as it was recovering from the slip, then entered a spin and collided with the ground at a slightly nose down attitude. The post accident examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: recreational
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 356 hours in all; 356 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W03 Wilson NC at 2:00 pm
- Destination: 8NC8 Durham NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from RDU, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N177J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N177J: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Pitts S-1 22 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pitts 46 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-90 2,149 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lake Ridge Aero Park Airport · nearest airport
- Wilson Industrial Air Center Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,126 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N177J 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL04LA158.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.