Pitts S-2B accident near Hillsboro, Maryland, March 7, 1993
On March 7, 1993 at about 8:08 pm local time, a Pitts S-2B, registered N12QW, was destroyed in an accident near Hillsboro, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED, WHILE PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT FLAT SPIN AND AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT INTO TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1993 · about 8:08 pm local time · cases in 1993
- Place
- Hillsboro, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-2B · all S-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N12QW · registry record · serial 5053
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE PRACTICING AEROBATICS, AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 3500 FEET, HE WAS JUST FINISHING AN IMMELMAN, WHEN THE AIRPLANE INADVERTENTLY WENT INTO A FLAT SPIN. HE STATED HE TRIED TO RECOVER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. THE LAST THING HE REMEMBERED WAS LOOKING DOWN AT THE TERRAIN FROM ABOUT 800 FEET. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY SAW AND HEARD THE AIRPLANE WHILE IT WAS BEING MANEUVERED, THEN SUDDENLY, THERE WAS SILENCE. THEY LOOKED UP FOR THE AIRPLANE AND SAW IT DESCENDING THROUGH ABOUT 1000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THEY STATED THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE ROSE ABOUT 30 DEGREES ABOVE THE GROUND; HOWEVER, THEY LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE AT TREE TOP LEVEL. AN ON SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A FLAT ATTITUDE. NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WERE FOUND WITH EITHER THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 889 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 753 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,167 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 20, 1992; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lynn Associates, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ANP Lee Airport MD at 7:50 pm
- Destination: ESN Easton MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N12QW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pitts S-2 13 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pitts 46 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 239 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lee Airport · departed from
- Easton/Newnam Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,362 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO93LA045.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.