Pitts S-15 accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, June 16, 1986
On June 16, 1986, a Pitts S-15, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N73BJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- June 16, 1986
- Place
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-15, amateur-built
- Registration
- N73BJ · registry record · serial BJ-2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING NORMAL CRUISE VFR FLIGHT AT 1,500 FT AGL, THE PILOT REPORTED HEARING AN ERRATIC HISSING SOUND AND THE ACFT BEGAN LOSING FUEL PRESSURE. THE AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE INTO A FIELD. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR DROPPED INTO A HOLE AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE CONFIRMED THAT AN IMPROPER FITTING HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN THE PRESSURIZED FUEL SYSTEM. A TEE FITTING HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN PLACE OF AN ELBOW FITTING AND THE END CAP HAD LOOSENED ALLOWING THE LOSS OF FUEL PRESSURE AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF POWER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 944 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 756 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NC81 Apex NC at 11:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.