Pitts S-2B accident near Shirley, New York, August 21, 2001
On August 21, 2001 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Pitts S-2B, registered N225SD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shirley, New York (Brookhaven airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot under instruction's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, and the flight instructor's inadequate remedial action during a simulated engine-out approach, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent ground impact.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2001 · about 4:45 pm local time · cases in 2001
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhaven · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-2B · all S-2Bs on the register
- Registration
- N225SD · registry record · serial 5308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the day of the accident, the flight instructor and pilot under instruction planned to fly several normal traffic patterns, then perform a simulated engine-out landing. They executed a normal takeoff, and after completing the traffic patterns, the student announced over the radio he would be performing a simulated-engine-out landing. While on downwind, the student had to perform several "s- turns" to maintain separation from a slower airplane ahead. On final, the airplane was low and slow. The right wing then dropped, and the airplane impacted the ground about 530 feet short of the runway. The flight instructor had approximately 3,000 hours of total flight experience. He was actively flying in the accident airplane make and model, and had accumulated about 2,000 hours in them. The student had 535 hours of total flight experience, and 56 hours in make and model. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions, and the pilot under instruction could not remember experiencing any mechanical difficulties.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 535 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 397 as pilot in command; 95 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 13, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 414.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWV Shirley NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,200 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from ISP, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N225SD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pitts S-2 13 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pitts 46 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 434 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Brookhaven Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 248 in the last ten years
- New York 6,661 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC01FA212.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.