N401MS

On December 31, 2025, at 1603 central standard time, a Pitts S1S airplane, N401MS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Carbondale, Illinois. The pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that he had completed three touch-and-go landings on runway 36R. He then completed a low approach over runway 18L and began a climb near the departure end of the runway. Upon reaching 400 ft above ground level (agl), the engine lost power. The pilot was able to momentarily restore partial power by manually actuating the emergency fuel pump; however, the engine lost power again. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot completed a forced landing on an airport perimeter road, then exited the road to the right and struck a power pole. The left wing separated from the airplane during the impact.

The tail mounted video camera captured the accident sequence, and the video was provided for the investigation. The airplane’s engine monitoring system data card and the airplane have been retained for further examination.