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| Date: | Tuesday 12 August 2025 |
| Time: | 10:19 |
| Type: |  Pitts S-1T Special |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N51HC |
| MSN: | 1026 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Goodyear, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Phoenix Goodyear Airport, AZ (GYR/KGYR) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On August 12, 2025, about 1019 mountain standard time, a Pitts S-1T, N51HC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Goodyear, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
The aircraft took off from Phoenix Goodyear Airport, AZ (GYR) at 10:14 and flew south. At 10:19 the airplane progressively increased its bank angle in a left turn, that was also consistent with a spiral until it impacted the ground.
The accident site was located in level desert terrain composed of soft sand with sporadic desert shrubs. The site was about 10 nautical miles south of the Goodyear Airport and about 4 nautical miles west of the Sierra Estrella Mountains. The elevation was approximately 1,150 feet mean sea level (msl).
The wreckage distribution measured approximately 100 feet and was oriented on a measured magnetic bearing of about 210°. The first identified point of contact was a circular ground crater about 3 ft deep. The engine was located inside the crater in an inverted attitude and exhibited a large hole in the lower crankcase. The propeller hub remained attached to the crankshaft; fractured propeller blades and blade-tip pieces were distributed around the immediate crater area. The main wreckage was near the crater, and the tail section was folded forward over the fuselage in a scorpion-like configuration. The airplane sustained major crush damage and fragmentation, precluding investigators from confirming control continuity.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N51HC
https://cdn.imagearchive.com/biplaneforum/data/attach/51/51206-A97BA5C1-551C-40AE-A602-610B4EC6094E.jpeg (photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Aug-2025 13:38 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 14-Aug-2025 14:40 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Aug-2025 09:16 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Aug-2025 21:00 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 03-Sep-2025 15:11 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative, ] |
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