Amateur-built S-1S accident near Athol, Idaho, January 24, 1983
On January 24, 1983, a amateur-built S-1S, registered N56T, was destroyed in an accident near Athol, Idaho (Henley Aerodrome airport). 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 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
- January 24, 1983
- Place
- Athol, Idaho · Henley Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built S-1S
- Registration
- N56T · no longer on the register · serial 532-42-45391
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOKOFF WITH AN ESTIMATED 7 GAL OF FUEL ON BOARD. WHILE PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVER, HE ENTERED A VERTICAL, CLIMBING, POWER-ON MANEUVER. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ACFT CLIMBED TO ZERO AIRSPEED AT ABOUT 2500 FT AGL. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT THEN SLID BACKWARD AND ENTERED AN INVERTED FLAT SPIN. POWER REMAINED ON FOR ABOUT HALF OF THE DESCENT. WHEN THE POWER WAS REDUCED, THE ACFT ENTERED AN UPRIGHT SPIN AND CONTINUED TO DESCEND IN THIS MODE UNTIL GROUND IMPACT. INTERVIEWS WITH OTHER PLTS, FAMILIAR WITH THE FLT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PITTS, REVEALED THAT AT A LOW STATE OF FUEL, THE CENTER-OF-GRAVITY IS IN THE AFT RANGE. THEY REPORTED A POWER REDUCTION IS NECESSARY TO RECOVER FROM AN INVERTED SPIN. THEY ALSO STATED THAT INTENTIONAL SPINS WERE NOT A NORMAL PART OF THIS PLT'S AEROBATIC ROUTINE. NO MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR PLT IMPAIRMENT WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 950 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 160 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1982; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.