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Accidents · NTSB LAX95LA162 · Final report

Pitts S-1E accident near Auburn, California, April 15, 1995

On April 15, 1995 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Pitts S-1E, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N301SH, was destroyed in an accident near Auburn, California (Auburn Muni airport). It was a personal flight 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 POOR JUDGMENT IN PERFORMING A ROLL AT AN ALTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO ASSURE A SAFE COMPLETION.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 15, 1995 · about 5:40 pm local time · cases in 1995
Place
Auburn, California · Auburn Muni · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Pitts S-1E, amateur-built · all S-1Es on the register
Registration
N301SH · registry record · serial SB3
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED TWO AIRPLANES FLYING IN A LOOSE FORMATION. THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE WAS BELOW THE FIRST AIRPLANE AND WAS FLYING AT TREETOP LEVEL 'CORKSCREWING THROUGH THE AIR.' IT THEN ENTERED INTO A ROLL MANEUVER AND THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A TREE. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES. THE PILOT HAD BEEN CITED PREVIOUSLY BY THE FAA FOR VIOLATING MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDES, AND CARELESS OR RECKLESS OPERATION.

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
  • Flight time: 3,500 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: ctr

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
  • Seats: 1
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Departed from: OVE Oroville CA at 5:25 pm
  • Destination: AUN Auburn CA
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 190° at 11 knots
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
  • Observation at 5:55 pm from BAB, 16 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX95LA162.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.