- Date
- August 14, 1994, 13:43 local (17:43 UTC)
- Place
- Merritt Island, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9669SChampion 7GCAA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940814021459A
- Case key
- 37587
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
Failure of the pilot to visually verify that the tow rope was not wrapped around any flight control surface and the inadvertent stall/spin. Contributing to the accident was the entanglement of the tow equipment with the rudder horn, rudder movement was restricted due to full deflection, and inability of the pilot to release the banner.
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
After takeoff the pilot threw the tope rope out of the cockpit and it became wrapped around the left rudder horn. The pilot picked up the banner and because of the position of the tope rope, the trailing edge of the rudder became fully deflected to the right. The pilot turned right crosswind, downwind, and base. When the flight was about 1/4 mile northwest of the airport, the airplane stalled spun 1/2 turn to the right and collided with the ground in a residential area. According to the owner of the operation, a mirror is installed on the left wing strut to view the tow rope at the 'd' ring to verify that the tow rope isn't wrapped around the rudder horn. The pilot was unable to release the banner.
Factual narrative
On August 14, 1994, about 1343 eastern daylight time, a Champion 7GCAA, N9669S, registered to Andrew P. Burfitt, operated by Air Words, crashed shortly after pickup of a banner from the Merritt Island Airport, Merritt Island, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The flight originated about 5 minutes earlier from the Merritt Island Airport, Merritt Island, Florida.
The flight landed after towing a banner for about 1 hour and another tow rope was added. The flight departed and after takeoff the pilot threw the tow rope out of the airplane during which it became wrapped around the left rudder horn. The pilot picked up the second banner and during the climb, the rudder was fully deflected to the right. The pilot was unable to release the banner. The flight was observed by witnesses to turn right crosswind, downwind, and base. The flight was about 1/4 mile northwest of the airport when the airplane stalled and spun to the right completing about 1/2 turn before impact with the ground in a residential area.
According to the owner of the airplane, a mirror is installed on the left wing strut for viewing the "D" ring to verify that the tow rope is not wrapped around the rudder horn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9669S
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCAA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 53
- Airframe hours
- 6,048
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Air Words
- Registered owner
- Andrew P. Burfitt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 14, 1994 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- COI
- Destination
- COI · FL
- Airport
- COI · Merritt Island
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,350 total · 23 in this make and model · 2,192 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MLB, 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.