Date:	Saturday 28 May 2022
Time:	15:14 LT
Type:	Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser
Owner/operator:	Barnstormers Aerial Advertising LLC
Registration:	N4421M
MSN:	12-3375
Year of manufacture:	1947
Total airframe hrs:	19928 hours
Engine model:	Lycoming O-320
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Myrtle Beach-Grand Strand Airport (CRE/KCRE), SC -   United States of America
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Banner and glider towing
Departure airport:	North Myrtle Beach, SC
Destination airport:	North Myrtle Beach, SC
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The pilot of the banner tow airplane made a low approach to pick up a banner. Witnesses reported that after the tow rope was picked up, the airplane pitched up and maintained a steep angle of attack until it entered an aerodynamic stall and made a near vertical descent to impact. The airplane came to rest in a nose-down, near-vertical position about 300 ft from the banner pick up zone. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology testing detected a low level of ethanol in the pilot's liver tissue. Some or all of the small amount of detected ethanol may have been from postmortem production. It is unlikely that ethanol effects contributed to the accident. It is likely that after the banner pickup and during initial climb, while the airplane had a high-power setting, high pitch angle, and low airspeed, the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall from which recovery was not possible due to the airplane's low altitude.

Probable Cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an altitude that was too low for recovery.

NTSB ERA22FA243
FAA register: FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=4421M

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-May-2022 21:01	Captain Adam	Added
28-May-2022 21:02	Captain Adam	Updated [Date, ]
28-May-2022 22:15	Captain Adam	Updated [Total fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
28-May-2022 23:29	RobertMB	Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
29-May-2022 00:50	johnwg	Updated [Embed code, Damage, Category, ]
29-May-2022 07:17	Iceman 29	Updated [Embed code, ]
09-Jun-2022 06:39	Captain Adam	Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
02-Feb-2024 12:26	ASN Update Bot	Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ]
02-Feb-2024 12:26	harro	Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
11-Feb-2024 11:56	ASN Update Bot	Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]