Pitts SPECIAL accident near Bessemer, Alabama, August 20, 2011
On August 20, 2011 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Pitts SPECIAL, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N2997G, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bessemer, Alabama (Bessemer 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 during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2011 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bessemer, Alabama · Bessemer Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts SPECIAL, amateur-built
- Registration
- N2997G · registry record · serial BM-01
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the conclusion of the pilot's second flight in the accident airplane, he landed at the destination airport. During the landing roll, the airplane began to drift to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the drift by applying left rudder, but the airplane continued to the right. He then applied what he thought was the maximum left brake and rudder to counteract the drift, but the airplane continued off the right side of the runway, impacted a taxiway sign, came to rest in a grassy area, and sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot later determined that, due to his large stature, his foot was likely contacting the firewall instead of the rudder pedal, which inhibited him from applying maximum left brake and rudder. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 928 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 893 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,954 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-320 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LUL Laurel MS at 2:00 pm
- Destination: EKY Bessemer AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 6,007 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from EET, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N2997G 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.