- Date
- February 15, 2001, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hollywood, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N35288Piper J5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010215003479A
- Case key
- 51766
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 improper inflight planning/decision and inadequate fuel consumption calculations that resulted in fuel exhaustion and substantial damage to the aircraft as a result of a hard landing during the emergency descent/landing.
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
The pilot stated that the ground crew had inadvertently added an additional forty letters to the tow, which required a higher cruise power setting. The pilot further stated that in addition, company dispatch asked that he attempt to overtake another company aircraft and attract the pilot's attention, and that effort took an additional 20 minutes of flight, at a higher power setting. The pilot said that when he returned to the airport to drop the banner, and he applied power during the maneuver, the aircraft engine ceased operating, and the aircraft landed hard, incurring substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that the fuel in the fuel tank had been depleted.
Factual narrative
On February 15, 2001, about 1515 eastern standard time, a Piper J5A, N35288, registered to and operated by Aerial Sign Company Inc, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 banner towing flight, landed hard after the engine ceased operating while dropping off a banner at North Perry Airport, Hollywood, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot was not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated from North Perry Airport, the same day, about 1200.
The pilot stated that the ground crew had inadvertently added an additional 40 letters which required that a higher cruise power setting be used during the flight. The pilot further stated that in addition to towing the banner, the company dispatch had communicated to him that they had been unable to reach another company aircraft in the area, and asked that he attempt to overtake that aircraft and visually communicate with the pilot. The pilot said that it took an additional 20 minutes of flying at a higher power setting to overtake the company aircraft. After overtaking the other aircraft, the pilot said that he returned to the airport to drop the banner, and when he added power during the banner drop, the aircraft engine ceased operating. The aircraft impacted the sod in the northwest corner of the airport, and incurred substantial damage. According to the operator, postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that the fuel in the aircraft fuel tank had been depleted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35288
- Reported as
- Piper J5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5-605
- Airframe hours
- 3,691
- Engine
- Textron Lyc. O-360-A2E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aerial Sign Company Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2000 · 36 hours before
- Departed
- HWO · Pembroke Pines, FL
- Airport
- HWO · North Perry Airport
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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- January 30, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 200 in this make and model · 6,950 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA, 15 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.