Piper PA25 accident near Fort Lauderdale, FL

On March 1, 2019, a Piper PA25 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

March 1, 2019

Place

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Aircraft

Piper PA25 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

26.166°N, 80.101°W

NTSB ID

20190302X81245

Official records · ERA19FA112

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Tower Documentation Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 1, 2019, about 1141 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-25-235, N145AB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 banner tow flight. The pilot was scheduled to complete a 2-hour flight towing a "medium size" company banner, which was 30 feet high by 90 feet long, near Hollywood Beach, Fort Lauderdale Beach, and north to the Commercial Boulevard Pier, which was the northernmost point of the route. The operator reported that, after taking off, the pilot conducted 5 or 6 practice banner pick-ups, then picked up the accident banner about 1059. Company tracking data and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar data indicated that the flight proceeded due east to the beach, where the pilot performed several circuits near Hollywood Beach. Review of the track data revealed that, at the southern end of the second circuit, the pilot began a right turn to return to a northerly direction but changed to a left turn and then proceeded in a northerly direction. He made several more circuits, then at 1125:00, the pilot initiated a right turn and proceeded north toward Commercial Boulevard Pier. At 1137:23, while over water south of the Commercial Boulevard Pier, the pilot initiated a right turn and flew in a south-southwesterly direction less than 1/2 nautical mile from the beach. At 1140:02, when the flight was south of Oakland Park Boulevard, about 0.4 nautical mile east-southeast from the accident site, flying about

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain proper altitude and clearance while maneuvering during a banner tow flight, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a 19-story building in a heavily congested area. Contributing to the accident were the easterly wind conditions, the pilot's total lack of experience in banner tow operations, and his inadvertent flight over a densely populated area with numerous

More accidents in FL

• Grumman G-73T, Dec 19, 2005
• Beech B90, Jan 5, 1994
• Beech B-90, Sep 3, 1999
• Cessna 182B, Feb 7, 1982
• Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47, Jun 7, 2012

Browse: Florida · Piper aircraft

See it on the map

Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.