Pitts S-2B accident near Mountain View, Arkansas, August 27, 1997
On August 27, 1997 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Pitts S-2B, registered N9QT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mountain View, Arkansas. 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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1997 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mountain View, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-2B · all S-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9QT · registry record · serial 5354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported the flight was inbound to the airport with a low fuel condition. The pilot had throttled back the airplane's power to '23' [inches manifold pressure] to continue toward the airport. En route, the pilot transmitted 'Oh, I just ran out and going down into a field, do not see the airport.' During the forced landing in a field, the airplane struck a fence. The pilot had flown the airplane for a total of 60 hours without any fuel system discrepancies. The pilot stated that his preflight preparation indicated that fuel was available at the airport where he had planned for refueling; however, upon landing at the airport with a low fuel condition, the pilot discovered that fuel was not available. Thinking that he had 5 gallons of fuel remaining, the pilot departed that airport for an airport 24 nautical miles away. Neither the Sectional Chart nor the Airport/Facility Directory indicate fuel availability at the airport chosen during the preflight planning.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 68 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 60 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: 4A5 Marshall AR at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 7M2 AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 FTW97LA332.