Amateur-built S2S accident near Waukegan, Illinois, October 8, 1995
On October 8, 1995 at about 5:17 pm local time, a amateur-built S2S, registered N61AC, was destroyed in an accident near Waukegan, Illinois (Waukegan Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the aerobatic maneuver. Factors associated with the accident were: an improper weight and balance with a center of gravity aft of the rear limit, the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, and his lack of total experience in the aerobatic maneuver being performed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1995 · about 5:17 pm local time
- Place
- Waukegan, Illinois · Waukegan Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S2S
- Registration
- N61AC · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airshow pilot was performing a series of shoulder rolls 250 to 300 feet above the ground. The airplane completed a fifth rolling maneuver when it began a descent towards the runway. The airplane collided with the runway and slid off onto the clearway area next to the runway. The on-scene investigation revealed no control system, engine, or propeller failure. The pilot had received his low altitude aerobatic waiver about 1 month before the accident. An airshow promoter/witness said the pilot kept losing altitude during the maneuvers he was performing. The airplane's builder and advanced aerobatic competititor told the pilot's manager that the pilot was not ready to fly the airshow circuit. The airplane's center of gravity was about 3/4-inch aft of the rear limit.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane
- Flight time: 5,457 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: UGN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from UGN, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N61AC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.