Event CHI06LA150

Factual narrative

On June 5, 2006, about 1915 central daylight time, an Aviat Pitts S-2B, N55H, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during landing when the airplane exited runway 26 (1,930 feet by 50 feet ,dry grass), impacted high vegetation, and nosed over at the J & S Field Airport, near Darmstadt, Indiana. The personal flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and pilot rated passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Hepler Airport, near St. Wendel, Indiana, at 1910. The pilot's accident report, in part, stated: Normal approach - 100 mph, 900 [feet above ground level] downwind pattern. Touched down center of runway, plane was on the ground and rolling. Everything felt right and normal. Started pulling to right added left rudder, right wing contacted wheat along edge of runway and pulled plane into [field.] At 1854, the recorded wind at the Evansville Regional Airport, near Evansville, Indiana, was 070 degrees at 7 knots. Federal Aviation Administration Inspectors examined the runway and wreckage. The landing gear from the accident airplane was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for detailed examination. Examination of the landing gear components revealed the separations were consistent with overload. The aerobatic tailwheel airplane sustained substantial damage during landing on a 50 foot wide grass runway when the airplane exited runway 26, impacted high vegetation, and nosed over. The pilot stated, "Normal approach - 100 mph, 900 [feet above ground level] downwind pattern. Touched down center of runway, plane was on the ground and rolling. Everything felt right and normal. Started pulling to right added left rudder, right wing contacted wheat along edge of runway and pulled plane into [field.]" At 1854, the recorded wind was 070 degrees at 7 knots. An examination of the landing gear components disclosed that the left main landing gear fractured/separated during the accident sequence. Portions of the left main landing gear were sent to the NTSB Materials laboratory for analysis. The examination disclosed that the fractures/separations were consistent with overload, with no evidence of any pre-existing anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12