Pilot error cited in air-show crash

NTSB: Aerobatic maneuver likely caused fatal wreck at DeKalb airport.

Pilot error was to blame in a deadly crash during an air show at DeKalb Peachtree Airport two years ago, federal aviation officials said in a report.

Pilot Greg Connell of South Carolina died during the Good Neighbor Day Air Show, which featured vintage aircraft and stunt planes, in May 2016.

Connell’s custom-built biplane, known as Wolfpitts, hit the ground after failing to pull out of a dive maneuver, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash said the “probable cause(s)” of the crash was “the pilot’s failure to maintain proper positioning during performance of an aerobatic maneuver

and his subsequent failure to discontinue maneuvering when unable to re-establish proper positioning during a steep descent toward the ground.”

Connell was performing maneuvers with another pilot at the time, according to reports.

“It is apparent that (Connell) put himself out of position by not adjusting to the crosswind conditions or he did not correctly identify the show line,” according to the NTSB. “The evidence indicated that he never lost control of the airplane.”

Spectator videos indicated that during a maneuver, Connell’s plane had an “extra roll” that was “not normal and put him further out of position,” the NTSB said.

“The wings of the Pitts then rocked back and forth, first to the left about 45 degrees and then to the right approaching 90 degrees. The airplane remained in a descending right bank and then appeared to level off immediately before ground impact.”

Airport director Mario Evans said it was the first accident in the air show’s 30-year history.