Thurston Pitts S-1S accident near Eatonville, Washington, November 9, 2001
On November 9, 2001, a Thurston Pitts S-1S, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N3VT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eatonville, Washington. 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 unsuccessful corrective action (recovery) from an inverted spin. A contributing factor was the pilot's encounter with the inverted spin maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2001
- Place
- Eatonville, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thurston Pitts S-1S, amateur-built
- Registration
- N3VT · registry record · serial 7-0164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experienced acrobatic pilot was practicing acrobatic maneuvers when the Pitts S-1S biplane transitioned from a near vertical, inverted stall into an inverted flat spin. The aircraft continued in the spin through 15-20 revolutions descending vertically until ground impact. There was evidence that the aircraft's canopy had been jettisoned during the descent as it was located relatively undamaged 150 feet from the ground impact site. The pilot's restraint system (lap belt and shoulder harness) however, had not been released. No control malfunction was noted during the post-crash investigation. Pilot records documented only one known reference to the pilot's having encountered an inverted spin, and this maneuver was referenced as an inadvertent inverted spin. An experienced S-1S pilot who had conducted inverted spins reported that the recovery process was characteristically simple and only required a release of the controls provided there was not a significantly aft center of gravity.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 909 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 858 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 3, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 964 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 6, 2001; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1S0 Puyallup WA at 11:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from KTCM, 20 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.