Pitts Special G-1 accident near Salinas, California, December 19, 1985
On December 19, 1985 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Pitts Special G-1, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N14JD, was destroyed in an accident near Salinas, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1985 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salinas, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts Special G-1, amateur-built
- Registration
- N14JD · registry record
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON DECEMBER 19, 1985, AN EXPERIMENTAL PITTS-SPECIAL, N14JD, OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE OWNER CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES NEAR SALINAS, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT SURVIVED BUT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT RECOVERED. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD AN UNKNOWN FLIGHT CONTROL DIFFICULTY AND HAD TO PARACHUTE FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT DID NOT SUBMIT AN ACCIDENT REPORT TO THE BOARD.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNK (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: Salinas CA at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.