Pitts 11 accident near Iona, Idaho, September 18, 1999
On September 18, 1999 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Pitts 11, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N11PU, was destroyed in an accident near Iona, Idaho. 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-in-command's delayed recovery from a snap roll. A contributing factor was the low altitude at which the maneuver was initiated.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1999 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Iona, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pitts 11, amateur-built
- Registration
- N11PU · no longer on the register · serial ADE 0001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A videotape of the accident showed the aircraft successfully completing a series of two counter-clockwise aileron rolls, immediately followed by two clockwise snap rolls. During the second run of maneuvers, initiated from an approximate altitude of 100-200 feet AGL, the aircraft recovered from the final snap roll in a 90 degree right-wing down, nose low attitude rather than the wings level attitude of the previous maneuver. One to two seconds later, the aircraft returned to a wings-level attitude having lost approximately half of its available altitude. The nose pitched back to a flat attitude and the aircraft impacted the ground. The aircraft's engine was heard to rev on the tape about a second after the impact.
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
- Flight time: 1,142 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 683 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 1, 1999; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-X (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IDA Idaho Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:25 pm from IDA, 13 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.