HONESDALE, PA, USA
N330HP
AEROTEK PITTS S-2S
THE PILOT HAD BEEN CONDUCTING MANEUVERS FOR AN AIRSHOW. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE CONDUCTING A MANEUVER '...[THE AIRPLANE] WENT DEEPER AND LOST SOME ALTITUDE, 200 FEET, DURING THE RECOVERY STAGE. I DID NOT CLEAR TREES ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SHOW LINE....' THE FAA INSPECTORS STATEMENT STATED, '...[THE PILOT] INDICATED THAT ON ENTRY, HIS POWER WAS SET LOWER THAN NORMAL...AND HIS AIRSPEED WAS A LITTLE LOWER THAN NORMAL...WHICH RESULTED IN A LOWER ENTRY ALTITUDE....[THE PILOT] INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRCRAFT OR THE ENGINE....'
On July 22, 1995, about 1510 eastern daylight time, a Pitts S-2S, N330HP, impacted trees while performing aerobatics during an airshow near the Cherry Ridge Airport, Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The commercial pilot received serious injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The local flight Originated from Cherry Ridge Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated, While performing a solo aerobatic act at this airshow, I was halfway through my normal routine doing a maneuver I call my LA LA PALUZA, which is tumbling the plane end over end. [The airplane] went deeper and lost some altitude, 200 feet, during the recovery stage. I did not clear trees on the east side of the show line. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspectors stated, ...[The pilot] indicated that on entry his power was set...lower than normal (2400 vs. 2500 RPM); and his airspeed was a little lower than normal (165 vs. 180 knots) which resulted in a lower entry altitude.... ...[The pilot] indicated that there were no problems with the aircraft or the engine.... Additionally, postaccident examination by the FAA Inspectors revealed no pre-impact anomalies with the engine or airframe.
the pilots misjudgment of the altitude required to perform an aerobatic maneuver, and the subsequent collision with trees.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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