Aerotek PITTS S-2A accident near San Marcos, Texas, September 20, 1997
On September 20, 1997 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Aerotek PITTS S-2A, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N73EW, was destroyed in an accident near San Marcos, Texas (San Marcos Municipal airport). 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
The pilot's loss of control while performing aerobatics resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor was the lack of altitude available for recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1997 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Marcos, Texas · San Marcos Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerotek PITTS S-2A, amateur-built · all PITTS S-2As on the register
- Registration
- N73EW · no longer on the register · serial 2045
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses at the airport reported that the fully aerobatic biplane impacted the infield area between runway 21 and the parallel taxiway in a near level attitude at a high rate of speed while recovering from a spin. Prior to the accident, the biplane had been performing an aerobatic routine for 12 to 15 minutes. The airplane made a high speed pass across the field from west to east at an estimated altitude of 200 feet AGL, followed by a near vertical climb to approximately 2,000 feet AGL. At that point the airplane was observed rolling inverted while on a westerly heading. The airplane was then observed rolling to the upright position, immediately performing a snap roll to the right, and then entering a spin. One of the witnesses, an aerobatic judge who was not judging the airshow, stated that 'the pilot entered a snap roll maneuver with insufficient airspeed.' Witnesses reported that the engine was operating at a high power setting and the propeller was turning during the airplane's descent. Examination of the airframe by the FAA inspectors at the site did not disclose any evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure or malfunction.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYI at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 5,602 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:14 pm from HYI
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.