Aerotek PITTS S-1T accident near Billings, Montana, December 2, 2012
On December 2, 2012 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Aerotek PITTS S-1T, registered N49309, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Billings, Montana (Billings airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll because of the failure of the tailwheel support bracket.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2012 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Billings, Montana · Billings · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerotek PITTS S-1T · all PITTS S-1Ts on the register
- Registration
- N49309 · registry record · serial 1006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completing a personal flight, the pilot was returning to his home airport. He stated that on the first landing attempt, he was not able to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll, and he aborted the landing. On the second landing attempt, he again was not able to maintain directional control and subsequently realized that there was not enough remaining runway for him to successfully abort the landing. The airplane departed the runway surface and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the weld that attached the tailwheel tube to the fuselage had separated. This would have allowed for the tailwheel assembly to freely move left and right without corresponding rudder input, and thus the pilot would not be able to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
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
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Gear attach fittings (on fus) › Failure other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,350 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 890 as pilot in command; 70 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 14, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 955 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 2010; 28 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT at 9:00 pm
- Destination: BIL Billings MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.29 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from BIL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 14, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Report from the Billings Airport | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N49309 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aerotek PITTS S-1T 11 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aerotek 133 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Billings Logan International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,047 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR13LA063.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.