Pitts S-2A accident near Hillsboro, Oregon, September 1, 2003
On September 1, 2003 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Pitts S-2A, registered N5301W, was destroyed in an accident near Hillsboro, Oregon (Stark'S Twin Oaks Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain the proper distance and altitude while on final approach which led to touching down short of the runway. The pilot's restricted visual lookout was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 2003 · about 6:15 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Hillsboro, Oregon · Stark'S Twin Oaks Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts S-2A · all S-2As on the register
- Registration
- N5301W · registry record · serial 2264
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that due to the aircraft's configuration, she was unable to see the runway while on short final and in the flare. The pilot intended to land as close to the numbers as possible. The aircraft touched down short of the runway on the grassy embankment that descends below the runway elevation. The aircraft bounced onto the runway, the landing gear collapsed and the aircraft slid on its belly to a stop. A post-crash fire consumed the aircraft.
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: 1,034 hours in all; 297 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 978 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 976 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 2003; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,575 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 7S5 Independence OR at 5:55 pm
- Destination: 7S3 Hillsboro OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 2,465 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from HIO, 6 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5301W 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-360-A1E 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Stark'S Twin Oaks Airpark · nearest airport
- Independence State Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,002 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA03LA182.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.