Date:	Sunday 21 October 2018
Time:	13:45
Type:	Pitts S-1S Special
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	G-MAVK
MSN:	4010
Year of manufacture:	1991
Engine model:	Lycoming IO-360-A1A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Location:	near Towcester, Northamptonshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Turweston Airport (EGBT)
Destination airport:	Northampton/Sywell Aerodrome (ORM/EGBK)
Investigating agency:	AAIB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Pilot declared aircraft had sustained an engine failure. Aircraft put down in a field and ended up in a hedge. Pilot uninjured.

UPDATE: The official AAIB report into the accident was published 9 May 2019, and the following is an excerpt from it...

"Pitts S-1S Pitts Special, G-MAVK
Forced landing due to fuel exhaustion, near Towcester, Northamptonshire, 21 October 2018.

Prior to departure, the pilot checked the quantity of fuel on-board using the sight gauge in the cockpit and judged that the tank was approximately half full. In his opinion this was sufficient for the short trip to Sywell and once the weather conditions became suitable he took off. The pilot flew the aircraft out of the Turweston circuit at full power and then throttled back ready to trim the aircraft for cruise at 140 mph.

He felt the engine losing power and so advanced the throttle. When the engine did not respond, he applied full throttle but there was still no response. He confirmed the fuel pressure was normal (approximately 12 psi) and then cycled the mixture control, which produced a short burst of power after which the engine stopped. The pilot selected a field to land in but there was insufficient distance to complete the landing and the aircraft struck a hedge at the far end and came to a halt.

The impact damaged the wings, but the pilot was able to exit the aircraft unharmed.

On a tailwheel aircraft such as the Pitts Special, the aircraft pitch attitude will affect the level of fuel shown in the sight gauge between level flight and the attitude on the ground. To mitigate this effect, sight gauges are usually dual-calibrated with on-ground and in-flight markings. At the time of the accident there were no markings to indicate the fuel quantity on G-MAVK and so the pilot could not accurately manage the on board fuel quantity. This led to the engine stopping in flight due to fuel exhaustion. Although it has subsequently been discovered that a fuel union on the carburettor was loose, it is not possible to determine whether this was due to the accident or was a pre-existing defect."

Damage Sustained to Airframe:
Per the AAIB report "Wings damaged". G-MAVK was built in 1991, and previously registered in the United States as N107JK, then exported to Iceland in 2011 as TF-WTF. The airframe had accumulated a total of 340 flying hours as at 14 September 2018. While the registration G-MAVK was still current in August 2024, the aircraft may have been withdrawn from use, as:

a) The Certificate of Airworthiness/Permit to Fly was cancelled on 13 September 2019, and had not been renewed since
b) The airframe was the subject of an "NO FLY" declaration effective 18 July 2024

Both of which imply that G-MAVK has not flown since the incident at Towcester on 21 October 2018

1. AAIB Final Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5cb703c4e5274a4f3fa108d5/Pitts_S-1S_Pitts_Special_G-MAVK_05-19.pdf
2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-48213868
3. G-MAVK on 16-07-2017: http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001314430.html
4. https://planefinder.net/data/aircraft/G-MAVK
5. https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/G-MAVK.html
6. http://pittss1sn599brebuild.blogspot.com/2017/01/jim-killough-and-his-pitts-airplanes.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towcester

Pitts S-1S Special G-MAVK in the bushes near Towcaster, Northamptonshire 21 October 2018 (lower right picture)

AAIB May bulletin publishedhttps://t.co/DBzymDx5kX pic.twitter.com/p19bEcn6wv

— AAIB (@aaibgovuk) 9 May 2019

G-MAVK Pitts Special S-1S at Turweston (EGBT) 25 August 2017

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Oct-2018 19:23	RG1967	Added
22-Oct-2018 09:36	aerobod	Updated [Registration, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
22-Oct-2018 09:37	harro	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, ]
23-Oct-2018 22:18	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ]
10-May-2019 00:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
10-May-2019 00:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code, ]
05-Aug-2024 05:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ]