Aviat Aircraft Inc Pitts S-2B accident near Antioch, California, June 3, 2006
On June 3, 2006 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Aviat Aircraft Inc Pitts S-2B, registered N117PS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Antioch, California. 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of oil pressure due to metal pieces from the number 5 piston skirt in the oil system, which prevented the oil valve top ball valve from seating. The muddy terrain was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2006 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Antioch, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat Aircraft Inc Pitts S-2B · all Pitts S-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N117PS · no longer on the register · serial 5346
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot shut down the engine and force-landed the airplane in a field following a loss of oil pressure while performing an aerobatic maneuver. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed-over in muddy terrain. Post accident examination showed that a portion of the number 5 cylinder piston skirt had fractured and was located within the oil valve. The oil valve works through the means of gravity operated ball valves which includes two balls and a spring. During normal flight, the top ball valve is closed and the bottom ball valve is open. During inverted flight, the opposite is true. In this location, the fractured piece could prevent the ball assembly of the oil valve from seating.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,285 hours in all; 280 in this make and model; 139 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 2,095 as pilot in command; 1,511 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,256.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2006; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from LVK, 19 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX06LA190.