Aviat PITTS S-2B accident near Queenstown, Maryland, July 11, 1995
On July 11, 1995 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Aviat PITTS S-2B, registered N260BF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Queenstown, Maryland. 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
failure of the fuselage longeron tubes due to fatigue, which resulted in partial separation (distortion) of the fuselage, partial loss of aircraft control, and a partial loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1995 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Queenstown, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat PITTS S-2B
- Registration
- N260BF · no longer on the register · serial 5222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers. The pilot stated, that during a maneuver, '...As I pulled out of the maneuver (a 4 to 5 G pull) I heard a very loud 'shot gun' type noise and simultaneously experienced a hard jolt and a release of pressure on the stick as the plane's nose pitched downward....The throttle lever jammed at approximately the half closed position. The plane was descending; in order to stabilize the airspeed for a forced landing, I had to hold full back stick pressure.' Examination of the aircraft revealed the upper left and right longeron tubes from the fuselage were fractured. The fracture of the longerons restricted movement of the cables for the throttle and mixture control. Metallurgical examination of the longeron fractures revealed evidence of fatigue cracking.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,720 hours in all; 906 in this make and model; 1,570 as pilot in command; 190 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 830 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1995; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,625 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W29 Stevensville MD at 8:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.