Aerotek PITTS S2S accident near El Paso, Texas, May 29, 1988
On May 29, 1988 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Aerotek PITTS S2S, registered N5333N, was destroyed in an accident near El Paso, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE AEROBATIC MANEUVER IN A MANNER WHICH INSURED ADEQUATE TERRAIN CLEARANCE AT THE TERMINATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1988 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerotek PITTS S2S · all PITTS S2Ss on the register
- Registration
- N5333N · no longer on the register · serial 1015
- 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 ON AN AEROBATIC DEMONSTRATION FLT. AS HE WAS COMPLETING AN OVER-THE-TOP MANEUVER, THE ACFT HIT THE GROUND AT HIGH SPEED, THEN TUMBLED INTO A LAKE BEFORE COMING TO REST. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT THE PLT HAD BEEN CONSISTENTLY TERMINATING HIS MANEUVERS AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE THROUGHOUT THE DEMONSTRATION.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 828 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 723 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 669 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 1988; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ELP, 20 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.
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.