Amateur-built PITTS S1 accident near Mattoon, Illinois, May 15, 1999
On May 15, 1999 at about 5:45 pm local time, a amateur-built PITTS S1, registered N64DE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mattoon, Illinois (Coles County Memorial airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control and inadvertent ground loop/swerve. A related factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1999 · about 5:45 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Mattoon, Illinois · Coles County Memorial · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PITTS S1
- Registration
- N64DE · registry record · serial DE001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a 3-point landing and the initial portion of the landing roll was normal. He reported the airplane then began to '...veer sharply to the right.' He was unable to correct the directional control of the airplane. The left main gear collapsed and the left lower wingtip along with the propeller contacted the runway prior to the airplane coming to rest on a heading of about 180 degrees. Inspection of the airplane failed to reveal any failure/malfunction of the airplane's brake system. A fuel line was located near the left brake which may have interfered with the pilot pressing on the brake pedal.
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: 756 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 668 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 406 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 21, 1998; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,050 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTO at 4:57 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 6,501 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N64DE on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 46 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Coles County Memorial · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,067 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI99LA151.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.