Pitts S-2 accident near Siloam Springs, Arkansas, May 30, 1988
On May 30, 1988, a Pitts S-2, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N246PC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Siloam Springs, Arkansas (Siloam Springs airport). 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
- May 30, 1988
- Place
- Siloam Springs, Arkansas · Siloam Springs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-2, amateur-built · all S-2s on the register
- Registration
- N246PC · registry record · serial 1008-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT AFTER TAKEOFF AND REACHING A SAFE ALTITUDE, HE MADE AN IMMEDIATE HARD LEFT TURN RESULTING IN A LOSS OF CONTROL. PILOT DID NOT RECOVER FROM THE RESULTANT STALL.
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
- Flight time: 1,497 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 350 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 21, 1988; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5AB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: FSM Fort Smith AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,985 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.