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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1999 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mattoon, Illinois · Coles County Memorial · 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI99LA151.