Pitts Special S-1 accident near La Marque, Texas, May 5, 1984
On May 5, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Pitts Special S-1, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N31DF, was destroyed in an accident near La Marque, Texas. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- La Marque, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts Special S-1, amateur-built · all S-1s on the register
- Registration
- N31DF · no longer on the register · serial 473H
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS SCHEDULED TO PERFORM AEROBATICS IN AN AIR SHOW. WHILE MANEUVERING AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL, THE ACFT ENTERED A NOSE HIGH, STEEP LEFT TURN, STALLED, THEN ENTERED A 2 TURN SPIN TO THE LEFT. THE PLT RECOVERED IN A NOSE LOW, WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE, BUT THE ACFT IMPACTED TREES & THE GROUND. NO PRE-IMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUCTION WAS FOUND. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLT HAD STARTED WEARING SOFT CONTACT LENSES TO CORRECT HER VISION. NO CONTACT LENSES WERE FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE & NO LENSES WERE NOTED IN THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS INVESTIGATION. A PAIR OF EYE GLASSES WERE FOUND IN A BAG IN THE COCKPIT.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 410 hours in all; 95 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 198 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 31, 1984; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 37R Hitchcock TX at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from GLS, 6 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.
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 FTW84FA220.