Amateur-built S-1S accident near Westtown, New York, May 2, 1999
On May 2, 1999 at about 9:40 pm local time, a amateur-built S-1S, registered N29GS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westtown, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inability to recover from an intentional stall spin maneuver. A factor in the accident was the change in the airplane's center of gravity which made the airplane more difficult to recover from a spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 1999 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Westtown, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S-1S
- Registration
- N29GS · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While practicing her sportsman competition sequence, the pilot deliberately entered a spin to the left. According to a witness, the pilot had been having trouble with her spin entries in the past, and that this entry was the cleanest he'd seen her perform. After 1 1/4 turns, the airplane's rotation slowed, but approximately two turns later, the rotation accelerated, and the airplane transitioned to an inverted spin. The pilot radioed that she could not recover from the spin and was advised to left go of the controls. Fifty feet prior to impact, the descent rate, and rate of rotation of the airplane slowed. Also, the nose of the airplane was recovering from a vertical down position. The day of the accident, the pilot purchased 12 pounds of weight to be installed on her airplane to move the center of gravity aft. According to the FAA's Flight Training Handbook, 'The recovery from a stall in any airplane becomes progressively more difficult as its center of gravity moves aft. This is particularly important in spin recovery....'
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: 950 hours in all; 112 in this make and model; 925 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 701 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 1998; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 824 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGJ Montgomery NY at 9:15 pm
- Destination: N07 Lincoln Park NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from MGJ, 16 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.