ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 169409
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| Date: | 31-AUG-2014 |
| Time: | 14:55 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee |
| Owner/operator: | Advertising Air Force |
| Registration: | N254AB |
| MSN: | 25-7556048 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | South of Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St Petersburg, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Banner and glider towing |
| Departure airport: | St. Petersburg, FL (SPG) |
| St. Petersburg, FL (SPG) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During a banner-tow pickup, the commercial pilot reported to the tower controller that the banner-tow rope had become entangled in the rudder and that he needed to release the rope. According to witnesses, after picking up the banner, the airplane made a sharp left turn and then spiraled into the water. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the banner-tow rope had become entangled between the left elevator and horizontal stabilizer.
A review of the company training manual noted that the banner-tow rope must remain taught before the pilot deploys the hook or the rope to prevent the entanglement of the hook or rope in the tail control surfaces and restriction of movement. A review of GPS data showed that the airplane made an immediate right turn to pick up the banner while the pilot was deploying the hook. It is likely that the pilot’s improper deployment of the hook while simultaneously turning the airplane caused the entanglement of the tow rope in the elevator.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper deployment of the banner-tow hook, which resulted in it becoming entangled between the left elevator and horizontal stabilizer, restricted the movement of the elevator, and led to a loss of airplane control.
Sources:
NTSB
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 12 Aug 2010 | N254AB | Aerial Banners Inc | 0 | St. Petersburg, FL | |
sub |
| Fuel exhaustion. | ||||||
| 22 Dec 2017 | N454AB | 0 | Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, FL | |
unk | |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Aug-2014 20:42 | gerard57 | Added |
| 31-Aug-2014 21:05 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Sep-2014 07:01 | RyanVHS | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 01-Sep-2014 07:01 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 01-Sep-2014 16:54 | Aerossurance | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 02-Sep-2014 15:45 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Phase, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 30-Nov-2017 19:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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