Amateur-built Pitts S-1C accident near Borrego Springs, California, May 11, 2002
On May 11, 2002 at about 5:50 pm local time, a amateur-built Pitts S-1C, registered N1PH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Borrego Springs, California (Borrego Valley airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane during landing rollout resulting in a ground loop/swerve and a nose over. The soft terrain was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 2002 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Borrego Springs, California · Borrego Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pitts S-1C
- Registration
- N1PH · registry record · serial 168H
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tail wheel equipped airplane veered off runway 7 and nosed over after encountering soft soil while landing. The pilot was interviewed by telephone and reported that the landing was normal. Near the end of the landing roll on runway 7, the aircraft veered left off the runway. He said that he was unable to correct the alignment before the airplane departed the paved runway surface and it nosed over after encountering soft desert-like soil. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the airplane. The airport manager reported the sky was clear and the winds were calm at the time of the accident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 347 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 290 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 25, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,128 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2001; 50 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: L08 Borrego Springs CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KTRM, 25 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.