Video Shows Pitts S-2B Failed To Recover From A Maneuver

Another air show pilot has been fatally injured. While performing at the Friesach-Hirt air show in Carinthia, Austria Sunday, a pilot flying a Pitts S-2B did not recover from a maneuver and impacted terrain.

The pilot, who has not been identified but who was described as a 50-year-old Austrian by the the website thelocal.at, was the only person injured in the accident.

Video captured by a spectator and posted on YouTube shows the Pitts  performing a series of climbing snap rolls. As the plane descends to gain airspeed, it impacts the ground behind a tent.

The website reports that, according to local police, there were about 500 spectators in the area. Marianne Makoru said that while it is not known why the pilot lost control of the airplane “we can exclude any third-party negligence.” Makoru said that the remainder of the air show was cancelled after the accident.

The pilot was described as “level-headed” and “not a risk-taker.” He has performed at air shows for several years with no previous incidents, according to the site.

(Image from YouTube video)

FMI: www.bmvit.gv.at/en/verkehr/aviation/authorities/supreme_civil.html