Piper PA-18-150 accident near Berlin, MD
On July 19, 2012, a Piper PA-18-150 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Berlin, MD. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 19, 2012
- Place
- Berlin, MD
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.358°N, 75.228°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120719X20339
Official records · ERA12FA465
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 19, 2012, about 1050 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, N4330Z, was substantially damaged when it impacted a tree and terrain following a tow banner drop in Berlin, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated at Bunting's Field (4MD1), Berlin, Maryland. The banner tow operation was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private airfield included a single turf runway 18/36 that was 3,000 feet long and 50 feet wide. Adjacent to the runway, on its west side, was another turf strip, approximately 900 feet long and 100 feet wide, where banners were picked up and dropped. According to the operator, on the day of the accident, and with winds generally out of the west, the two, 6-foot-high banner pick-up masts were positioned about 8 feet apart at the southern edge of the banner strip, while the banner drop area was north of the pick-up masts. A diagram and a flight demonstration showed that pilots of returning banner flights would make three inbound radio calls, two of which were over highway landmarks. A third call would be made as each airplane proceeded southbound over transmission lines located about 800 feet north of the banner strip. Airplanes would then continue on the southerly heading while descending to about 250 feet above ground level, depending on banner size. Once over the banner strip, pilots would drop the banner, then add power, and climb the airplane while
Probable cause
Pilot incapacitation of unknown origin, which resulted in the airplane’s loss of control and an inadvertent aerodynamic stall/spin.
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Browse: Maryland · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
