Pitts S1C accident near Durham, North Carolina, March 2, 1985
On March 2, 1985 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Pitts S1C, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N4691, was destroyed in an accident near Durham, North Carolina (Durham Skylark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1985 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Durham, North Carolina · Durham Skylark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S1C, amateur-built · all S1Cs on the register
- Registration
- N4691 · no longer on the register · serial EMJ-1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED HE PUT THE ACFT IN A STEEP BANK SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF TO VIEW HIS SON WHO WAS ON THE GROUND. HE STATED HE FAILED TO APPLY BACK PRESSURE AND THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES OFF THE END OF THE RWY. THE ACFT THEN IMPACTED THE GORUND.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 1,422 hours in all; 92 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,315 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 389 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,092 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-02 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:50 pm from RDU, 20 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.