Pitts S-1 accident near Brooks, Georgia, September 3, 1987
On September 3, 1987 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Pitts S-1, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N11HJ, was destroyed in an accident near Brooks, Georgia. 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 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
- September 3, 1987 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Brooks, Georgia · 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
- N11HJ · no longer on the register · serial 9171
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED IN AEROBATIC MANEUVERS NEAR THE DEPARTURE AIRFIELD. THE LAST OF THE SERIES WAS A LOMCEVAK MANEUVER, WHICH WAS STARTED AT AN ESTIMATED ALT OF 2500 TO 2700 FT. A WITNESS RPRTD THE ACFT WENT INTO AN INVERTED FLAT SPIN, WHICH WAS CORRECTED TO AN INVERTED SPIN, THEN A NORMAL SPIN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. TREE MARKINGS AND GROUND DAMAGE INDICATED THE ACFT WAS IN A NEAR VERTICAL DSCNT AT THE TIME OF IMPACT WITH LITTLE OR NO FORWARD MOTION. THE EMPENNAGE WAS FOUND TWISTED TO THE LEFT.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 102 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.