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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2004 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Durham, North Carolina · Lake Ridge Aero Park · 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
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL04LA158.