http://registry.faa.gov
NTSB Identification: WPR11LA458
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, September 19, 2011 in Redlands, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/31/2013
Aircraft: AVIAT INC PITTS S-2B, registration: N46BT
Injuries: 1 Serious.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that the airplane stalled while maneuvering at a low altitude. He attempted to recover from the stall; however, the airplane continued to descend and subsequently collided with terrain. First responders to the accident site reported that they noted an odor of alcohol when they spoke to the pilot at the accident site. About one hour after the accident, a blood sample from the pilot was secured and later tested for alcohol intoxicants. The test results showed that the pilot’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .04 percent. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, effects of a BAC of .04 percent can include decreased attention, impaired judgment, and increased reaction time. The pilot later reported that he had consumed alcohol prior to the accident flight. The pilot also reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment from alcohol.
On September 19, 2011, about 0850 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Pitts S-2B airplane, N46BT, collided with the ground near Redlands, California. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The airplane was consumed by fire and sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to the pilot, and operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from the Redlands Municipal Airport, Redlands, California, about 0830.
Witnesses reported that the pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers over the airport when the airplane impacted terrain adjacent to an airport perimeter fence. After impact, the airplane slid into an unoccupied vehicle that was parked on the shoulder of a city roadway. A post crash fire ensued.
The pilot reported that he was maneuvering in the local area shortly after takeoff and that during a turn, the airplane stalled approximately 350 feet above the ground. He reported that the airspeed in the turn was slow, between 70-80 knots. The pilot attempted to recover from the stall; however, the airplane continued to descend and subsequently collided with terrain.
First responders to the accident site reported that they noted an odor of alcoholic beverage when they made contact with the pilot at the accident site. About one hour after the accident a blood sample from the pilot was secured, and later tested for alcohol intoxicants. The test results showed that the pilot’s blood alcohol content (BAC)was .04 percent.
During a telephone conversation after the accident with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot stated that he had consumed alcohol prior to the accident flight.
The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, effects of a BAC of .04% can include decreased attention, impaired judgment, and increased reaction time. It advises that "The number of serious errors committed by pilots dramatically increases at or above concentrations of 0.04% blood alcohol. This is not to say that problems don’t occur below this value. Some studies have shown decrements in pilot performance with blood alcohol concentrations as low as 0.025%."
Title 14 CFR Part 91.17, Alcohol or Drugs, states, "(a) No person may act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft (1) Within 8 hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage; (2) While under the influence of alcohol…(4) While having an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater in a blood…"
Photo Credit: Bill Norris
A single-engine plane crashed on a street near Redlands Municipal Airport and burst into flames.
Photo Credit: Redlands Fire Department / September 19, 2011
A small airplane sits charred on a street near the Redlands Municipal Airport.
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Sessums Drive near Redlands Municipal Airport became an impromptu runway on Monday morning.
The 45-year-old pilot of a small bi-plane was injured when he attempted to use the street, adjacent to the airport, to land, said Redlands spokesman Carl Baker. The man, from Redlands, was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center with back pain and a cut to the forehead. The injuries are not considered serious, Baker said.
The incident, which happened at 8:50 a.m., will be investigated by federal officials, Baker said. The pilot was either landing or taking off when he came down on the street, clipped a parked car and stopped.
“The (National Transportation Safety Board ) has been notified, and the (Federal Aviation Administration) is on it’s way,” Baker said.
Tim Johnson, an employee at Hangar 24 brewery, said he and another employee were loading a truck when he saw the biplane doing maneuvers over the airport.
“I thought this guy was practicing for an air show,” he said.
Johnson said the plane came over low from the west, though the engine sounded normal.
“I thought he was going to buzz us at the brewery.”
The plane crashed into Sussems Drive at around a 35-degree angle, about 150 yards from the brewery. It skidded down the street and clipped a parked car, Johnson said.
“As soon as it hit, we were running after him,” Johnson said.
When they arrived, the pilot was already standing next to wreckage. Johnson described him as wobbly, with a cut on his head.
He and others used fire extinguishers on the plane, and airport personnel threw more extinguishers over a fence for the volunteers to use, but the flames grew too intense, Johnson said.
Fire crews then arrived and put out the blaze.
An employee at a nearby microbrewery rushed to a plane crash in Redlands to pull a pilot from a downed aircraft before it caught fire, said a city spokesman.
The aircraft crashed about 8:50 a.m. on Sessums Drive (map), skidded about 100 yards and collided with a parked car, according to the Redlands Fire Department.
"A bystander at Hangar 24, a microbrewery across the street, pulled the pilot out of the plane before it caught fire," said Redlands city spokesman Carl Baker.
Baker said the Good Samaritan was an employee of the microbrewery.
The pilot, a 45-year-old Redlands man, was the only occupant in the plane, said Baker. He was taken to Loma Linda Hospital.
The pilot complained of back pain and lacerations to his head, said Baker.
The FAA and NTSB have been notified of the crash, said Baker.
A pilot was injured Monday when the small plane he was flying crashed and burned near the Redlands Municipal Airport.
Redlands city spokesman Carl Baker said a small biplane -- a plane with two pairs of wings at different levels -- crashed on Sessums Drive, a frontage road at the airport, about 8:50 a.m.
The 35-year-old pilot, the sole occupant of the plane, was pulled out by a bystander and taken to a local hospital after reporting pain and cuts on his forehead, Baker said. The pilot, who has not been identified, was conscious and talking.
The plane caught fire and was destroyed.
Baker said the aircraft also clipped a parked car. It was unclear whether the plane was taking off or attempting to land or why it crashed, he said.
REDLANDS, Calif. (KTLA) -- A Good Samaritan pulled a pilot to safety after a small plane crashed on a roadway in Redlands and burst into flames.
The biplane crashed around 8:50 a.m. Monday on Sessums Drive, near Redlands Municipal Airport, city officials said.
A bystander pulled the pilot -- the sole occupant -- from the wreckage.
The 35-year-old pilot reportedly suffered cuts and bruises and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was said to have been conscious and talking after the crash.
It was not immediately known what caused the crash. It was also unknown whether the pilot was taking off or landing at the time.
The plane was destroyed by the subsequent fire.
Authorities say the small biplane crashed in the street just beyond the runway and to the left of the hangars just before 9 a.m.
Upon impact, the plane slid about 150 feet down the roadway, and in the process, the plane clipped a parked car before coming to a stop and bursting into flames.
Workers at a nearby brewery helped pull the 45-year-old pilot to safety moments before flames completely engulfed the plane.
"Ran over there, and the guys from the brewery ran over there and pulled him out," said Tim Johnson. "We tried to put out the fire with extinguishers."
The pilot was hospitalized with a laceration to his head and back pain.
The National Transportation Safety Board was notified, and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the cause of the crash.
REDLANDS, Calif. (KABC) -- Good Samaritans helped rescue a pilot after a small plane crashed next to Redlands Municipal Airport on Monday morning.
Witnesses said they saw the plane flying pretty low just moments before it hit the ground.Authorities say the small biplane crashed in the street just beyond the runway and to the left of the hangars just before 9 a.m.
Upon impact, the plane slid about 150 feet down the roadway, and in the process, the plane clipped a parked car before coming to a stop and bursting into flames.
Workers at a nearby brewery helped pull the 45-year-old pilot to safety moments before flames completely engulfed the plane.
"Ran over there, and the guys from the brewery ran over there and pulled him out," said Tim Johnson. "We tried to put out the fire with extinguishers."
The pilot was hospitalized with a laceration to his head and back pain.
The National Transportation Safety Board was notified, and the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the cause of the crash.
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