- Date
- July 23, 1989, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8061CPiper PA-18A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890723024799A
- Case key
- 36444
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 adequate flying speed, and his delay to jettison the banner. A factor related to the accident was: the location of the trees.
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 was attempting to pick up a banner located adjacent to garden state parkway. The banner was successfully picked up, but the pilot stated that it felt heavy even with full power being applied. He applied right rudder pressure to correct a wing low attitude & forward pressure to lower the aircraft nose. The aircraft did not accelerate. As the pilot reached for the banner release, the left wing clipped a 20 ft pine tree & the aircraft cartwheeled counterclockwise, impacting the ground in a nose down attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8061C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 183409
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Paramount Air Service
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- WWD · Rio Grande, NJ
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,768 total · 123 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command · 208 in the last 90 days · 126 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8061C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.