Clark PITTS S1X accident near Upland, California, January 8, 2000
On January 8, 2000 at about 6:34 pm local time, a Clark PITTS S1X, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N900SH, was destroyed in an accident near Upland, California (Cable 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to recover from an intentional aerobatic maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 2000 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Upland, California · Cable
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Clark PITTS S1X, amateur-built
- Registration
- N900SH · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an air show, while conducting aerobatic maneuvers, the airplane continued in a spin to ground impact. According to witnesses, the pilot was performing an aerobatic routine with two other airplanes, known as a "squirrel cage" maneuver. The airplanes would take turns entering the aerobatic box to perform a single choreographed maneuver. The routine card indicated that the pilot was to perform multiple snap rolls when the accident occurred. A video of the pilot's routine was examined with the assistance of members of the International Aerobatic Club. The video showed that the pilot made 3 1/2 snap rolls to the right, and then 2 1/2 spins to the left. It appeared there was no flight control problem and the pilot entered a flat spin. The elevator appeared to be loaded and the pilot never broke the stall prior to impact. The pilot had written a magazine article advocating a specific spin recovery method.
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, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 395 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1999
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CCB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from ONT, 5 miles away
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 LAX00LA068.