Pitts SC 1 accident near Topeka, Kansas, September 24, 1982
On September 24, 1982 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Pitts SC 1, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N1021K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Topeka, Kansas (Forbes Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- September 24, 1982 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Topeka, Kansas · Forbes Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts SC 1, amateur-built
- Registration
- N1021K · registry record · serial 1021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE QUIT NEAR THE AIRPORT, BUT A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A GRASSY FIELD. THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS EMPTY.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FOE Topeka KS at 5:00 pm
- Destination: FOE Topeka KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 8,002 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 066° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 151°F (66°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:32 pm from FOE, 1 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.