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Narrative: The banner aircraft impacted high residential housing at 3015 North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, under unknown circumstances. The aircraft came to the rest in a pool and the sole pilot on board was fatally injured. There were no injures inside the building.
The same aircraft force landed along a riverbed in the city of Vernon on August 7, 2015.
NTSB preliminary report:
On March 1, 2019, about 1141 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-25-235, N145AB, was destroyed when impacted a condominium while maneuvering in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was being operated by Aerial Banners North, Inc. under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local banner tow flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood, Florida, about 1043. The operator reported that the pilot was scheduled to fly 2 hours on his first solo banner tow flight away from the banner tow box at HWO. He was towing a 30-foot-high by 90-foot-long "medium size" company banner.
According to company personnel, after takeoff the pilot practiced pick-ups, then picked up the accident banner on the first pass about 1059. Review of company tracking data revealed that the flight proceeded due east to the beach where the pilot performed several passes near Hollywood Beach, then proceeded north. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar data depicted the airplane flying in a northerly direction until about 1138; then while over water south of the Commercial Boulevard Pier, the pilot initiated a right turn and flew at an altitude about 400 ft mean sea level (msl) in a southerly direction until about 1140:12, when the airplane was south of Oakland Park Boulevard.
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane turn right to a westerly or northwesterly direction and flying over land, while the FAA radar data depicted the airplane descended to about 200 ft msl. The airplane was observed to bank sharp to the left, during which time one witness observed the banner twist and separate. Another witness thought the left bank was the pilot's attempt to fly over NE 30th Street between two tall buildings. The airplane was then observed banking to the right, and impacted into the 16th and 17th stories of a 19 story condominium. The airplane then fell to the 2nd floor deck and came to rest on its left side. Witnesses in different locations described the engine sound as either "sputtering," "operating normally," or "being at a low throttle setting." A witness in one of the impacted units reported that the engine was operating at full throttle with no discrepancies.
The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.