- Date
- June 20, 2004, 09:55 local (14:55 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Shores, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N82451Piper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Birmingham FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040620010569A
- Case key
- 59543
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed that resulted in a stall and the subsequent collision with the ground.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he departed the grass strip and flew two separate banner flights along the beach. After dropping the second banner off he proceeded around the pattern to land on the grass strip. On the base leg of the pattern, the pilot states "a high enough speed was not kept and the right wing stalled and 'broke out' forcing the plane to the right and into a nose down attitude". The plane impacted the trees in a nose down attitude and came to a stop upon hitting the ground. According to a witness, the airplane was seen on its base to final leg when the aircraft began going behind the tree line in a 90-degree bank and a 60-degree nose down position. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane during the flight.
Factual narrative
On June 20, 2004, about 0955 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235, N82451, collided with the ground while on approach to land on a grass strip near Gulf Shores, Alabama. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. Gulf Air Advertising was operating the airplane as a towing flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The flight departed Gulf Shores, Alabama, at 0820 on June 20, 2004.
According to the pilot, he departed the grass strip and flew two separate banner flights along the beach. After dropping the second banner off he proceeded around the pattern to land on the grass strip. On the base leg of the pattern, the pilot states "a high enough speed was not kept and the right wing stalled and 'broke out' forcing the plane to the right and into a nose down attitude". According to a witness, the pilot was seen on its base to final leg when the airplane began going behind the tree line in a 90-degree bank and a 60-degree nose down position. The plane collided with trees in a nose down attitude and came to a stop upon hitting the ground.
The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82451
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-7756018
- Airframe hours
- 2,330
- Engine
- Lycoming 0S40-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 16, 2004 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Gulf Shores, AL
- Destination
- PVT · Gulf Shores, AL
- Airport
- PVT · Norton Field, runway 36, 2,600 × 100 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 21, 2002
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,205 total · 558 in this make and model · 1,122 as pilot in command · 487 in the last 90 days · 208 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KNPA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.