Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB ERA19FA112
PIPER PA25 — Fort Lauderdale, FL
| Date | March 1, 2019 |
| Location | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA25 |
| Purpose of flight | Banner Tow |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-low-alt flying Other weather encounter |
| Pilot age | 28 |
| Pilot total time | 313 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-(general)-Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - F
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience in position-Pilot - F
What happened
The newly-hired banner tow pilot departed on his first banner-tow flight away from the training airport. After completing several circuits the pilot was flying on a southerly heading with an 8 knot easterly wind about 1/4 mile offshore, which was about half the distance he was trained to be offshore. The pilot initiated a right turn descended to 250 ft mean sea level and flew over a heavily congested area with tall buildings nearby. The airplane was seen flying about 250 ft above ground level over a heavily-congested area before it impacted the 16th and 17th floors of a 19-story building while in a right turn.
Although witnesses provided varying accounts of how the engine was operating near the end of the flight, a sound spectrum study conducted with video taken of the airplane just before the impact indicated that the engine was operating near its maximum available power at the time of impact. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The abnormal engine sounds reported by several witnesses were likely attributed to be from the lack of a muffler of the exhaust system. Given the lack of any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, it was likely that the pilot did not adequately compensate for the wind conditions, which would have pushed the airplane inland during a right turn to reverse course.
The operator reported that banner-tow flights were performed between 500 and 700 ft above mean sea level while offshore. At no time, except during takeoff or landing or unless authorized by air traffic control, were pilots expected to fly at altitudes less than 500 ft.
According to training records, the pilot had received 17 hours of banner tow flight training, He completed a .6-hour solo banner tow training flight in the airport vicinity 3 days before the accident.