Amateur-built PITTS S-1T accident near Avoca, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1986
On June 28, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a amateur-built PITTS S-1T, registered N83TJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avoca, Pennsylvania (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- June 28, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Avoca, Pennsylvania · Wilkes-Barre/Scranton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PITTS S-1T
- Registration
- N83TJ · registry record · serial T-020TJ
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY AT THE WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON AIR SHOW, THE ACFT HAD A TEMPORARY ENGINE FAILURE WHILE INVERTED 20 FEET ABOVE THE TERRAIN. THE ACFT IMPACTED ON THE RWY, SLID 500 FEET INVERTED, TURNED OVER AND STOPPED UPRIGHT.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 1986; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 6,449 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:00 pm from AVP
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.