- Date
- May 6, 1988, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Shores, AL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N41333Piper J5C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880506012989A
- Case key
- 7755
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
A witness reported that the airplane encountered a 'downdraft' while attempting to pick up a banner. The main ldg gear caught the banner pick-up line and carried the banner aloft. The witness radioed the plt to advise him of the situation, but received no response. The airplane climbed to about 200 ft AGL while continuing to head north into the wind, then began to turn downwind to the right. The airplane nose dropped as the turn was completed and the airplane entered a spin to the right. The airplane subsequently impacted the terrain in a nose-down attitude. The witness estimated that the wind was gusting up to 25 knots from the north at the time. The plt was reportedly not wearing his seat belt, and no shoulder harness was installed in the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41333
- Reported as
- Piper J5C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5-1309
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- American Banners, Inc.
- Registered owner
- A & K Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- AL15 · Jack Edwards, runway 27, 5,400 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,719 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 14 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNS, 27 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.