Pitts S-15 accident near Delphi, Indiana, November 17, 1988
On November 17, 1988 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Pitts S-15, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N3RJ, was destroyed in an accident near Delphi, Indiana. 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
FAILURE TO RECOVER FROM AN AEROBATIC MANEUVER DUE TO LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE, AND LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE IN THE TYPE OF FLIGHT REGIME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1988 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Delphi, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-15, amateur-built
- Registration
- N3RJ · registry record · serial 378H
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT PERFORMING A SERIES OF HAMMERHEAD TYPE CLIMBS AND DIVES. THE ACFT THEN WAS OBSERVED TO PERFORM A CLIMB AND ENTER A SPIN FROM WHICH THERE WAS NO RECOVERY. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED 10 HOURS INSTRUCTION IN THE ACFT OVER TWO YEARS PRIOR TO ACCIDENT AND HAD LOGGED 27 HOURS FLIGHT TIME IN THE ACFT. THE PILOT HAD NOT FLOWN IN 27 MONTHS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. HIS LAST FLIGHT IN THE ACCIDENT ACFT WAS 28 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: 447 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 338 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 1988; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3AR Lafayette IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:49 am from LAF, 17 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.