Aviat Inc A 1 accident near Compton, CA
On August 9, 2015, an Aviat Inc A 1 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Compton, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 9, 2015
- Place
- Compton, CA
- Aircraft
- Aviat Inc A 1 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.889°N, 118.246°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150809X71758
Official records · WPR15FA238
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 9, 2015, at 1233 Pacific daylight time, an Aviat Husky A-1, N6090U, impacted the ground following a loss of control during a banner tow pickup at Compton/Woodley Airport, Compton, California. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. Aviad Corporation was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local banner tow flight. Witnesses, who were ground personnel for the tow operation, reported that the pilot had unsuccessfully attempted to pick up a tow banner five times. He was successful on the sixth attempt, and the banner deployed normally, and the airplane's engine sounded normal. However, the pilot radioed to ground personnel that he was unable to climb. Witnesses reported that the banner released from the airplane's tail hook and fell to the ground. The airplane was wallowing left and right until it spun to the left and descended, subsequently impacted the ground, and burst into flames. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He held a first-class medical certificate with no limitations or waivers that was issued on July 27, 2015. The pilot reported on the application for this medical certificate that he had a total time of 2,501 hours with 367 hours logged in the last 6 months. No personal flight records were located for the pilot. Th
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and/or appropriate pitch attitude during a banner pickup, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall/spin at too low an altitude to allow recovery.
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Browse: California · Aviat 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.
