Bucker Flugzeugbau JUNGMANN and Pitts S-2-B mid-air collision near St. Augustine, Florida, April 2, 1984
On April 2, 1984 at about 5:10 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Bucker Flugzeugbau JUNGMANN (N1947G) and Pitts S-2-B (N5302M), were involved in a mid-air collision near St. Augustine, Florida. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- April 2, 1984 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft 1
- Bucker Flugzeugbau JUNGMANN
- Registration
- N1947G · registry record · serial 218
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Pitts S-2-B · all S-2-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5302M · no longer on the register · serial 5000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Bucker Flugzeugbau JUNGMANN final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLTS OF A BUCKER JUNGMANN, N1947G, & A PITTS S-2B, N5302M, WERE PRACTICING FOR AN AIRSHOW. THEY BEGAN A MANEUVER CALLED A 'MIRROR FLY-BY' IN WHICH THE BUCKER WAS ROLLED UPSIDE DOWN & THE PITTS WAS FLOWN UNDERNEATH IT. DUE TO THE AIR FLOW OVER THE WINGS THE ACFT WERE PUSHED APART AS THEY FLEW IN FORMATION; HOWEVER, THE PLTS ELECTED TO MODIFY THE MANEUVER BY HAVING THE PITTS MOVE FORWARD. AS THE ACFT WERE POSITIONED TO WHERE THE WINGS WERE NOT OVERLAPPED, THE ACFT CONVERGED INTO EACH OTHER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PROP OF THE BUCKER STRUCK THE PITT'S VERTICAL FIN & RUDDER, SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE PITTS. HOWEVER, BOTH ACFT WERE LANDED SAFELY.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Pitts S-2-B final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLTS OF A BUCKER JUNGMANN, N1947G, & A PITTS S-2B, N5302M, WERE PRACTICING FOR AN AIRSHOW. THEY BEGAN A MANEUVER CALLED A 'MIRROR FLY-BY' IN WHICH THE BUCKER WAS ROLLED UPSIDE DOWN & THE PITTS WAS FLOWN UNDERNEATH IT. DUE TO THE AIR FLOW OVER THE WINGS THE ACFT WERE PUSHED APART AS THEY FLEW IN FORMATION; HOWEVER, THE PLTS ELECTED TO MODIFY THE MANEUVER BY HAVING THE PITTS MOVE FORWARD. AS THE ACFT WERE POSITIONED TO WHERE THE WINGS WERE NOT OVERLAPPED, THE ACFT CONVERGED INTO EACH OTHER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PROP OF THE BUCKER STRUCK THE PITT'S VERTICAL FIN & RUDDER, SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE PITTS. HOWEVER, BOTH ACFT WERE LANDED SAFELY.
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 for the Bucker Flugzeugbau JUNGMANN from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 11,230 hours in all; 910 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 9,802 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,237 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGJ St. Augustine FL at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
The factual record for the Pitts S-2-B 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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 32,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 300 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 1983; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540-D45A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGJ St. Augustine FL at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
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.