Performance At SAF Show Claimed Pilot's Life

There is no easy answer to what brought down a Sukhoi SU-29 last October while it was performing aerobatics at a New Mexico air show, according to the NTSB report released last week on the accident.

Pilot Rick Bobbitt had just begun his routine for the watching crowd at last year's first annual Santa Fe Air Show when the crash occurred. The accomplished pilot was descending from a second maneuver that involved an inverted spin when he failed to recover from a steep descent and impacted near the runway. 

According to the story in The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, the NTSB suggests several possible causes in its 12-page report, but does not cite a specific explanation for why the accident happened. Among possible causes may have been lack of sufficient altitude to pull out of the stunt, as the density altitude at SAF at the time was over 8,000 feet, around 2,000 thousand feet above field elevation. Disorientation from the spin may have been a factor as well.

Investigators were not able to find any mechanical issues with the Sukhoi, according to Bobbitt's widow, Randy, nor could they find evidence of any fault with Bobbitt's flying technique. Photos of the descent scrutinized by the NTSB show that he had the proper control applications in, she said. 

Besides his work in flying and judging aerobatics, Bobbitt had also served in the US Navy and was a B757 and 767 pilot for United Airlines. He had worked on that airline's post-9/11 security team, as well.

Earlier this year, Randy Bobbitt returned to Santa Fe to support the Aviation Association of Santa Fe's efforts to keep the air show alive. "All he ever wanted to do was fly," she said. "The last thing Rick would have wanted was for Santa Fe to stop having an air show."

However, for this year at least the city has shelved plans for the show, according to Airport Advisory Board Member Carolyn Cook. There is still hope for it to return in 2006, she added, as the FAA found no errors with Santa Fe's handling of the show.

FMI: NTSB Final Report