NTSB Factual Report

On August 4, 2018, about 1000 central daylight time, an American Champion 8GCBC, N424A, owned and operated by GCAA, LLC, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Foley, Alabama. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The local banner tow flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed about 0950.

A ground crewmember witnessed the accident flight and reported that the pilot fueled up the airplane with 30 gallons of (aviation) fuel and performed his walk around, control check, and fuel sample; everything was normal. The private pilot-rated passenger was flying in the aft seat to become familiar with the operation. After they boarded the airplane, the pilot performed a runup and radioed in that everything was "green and perfect" with the airplane. After takeoff on runway 18, the hook was dropped from the airplane and the witness radioed the pilot and stated "good hook," which indicated the line with the hook was in a normal condition to grab the banner during pickup. The approach to the banner looked completely normal. The airplane engine sounded "strong" during the pick up and climb out. After capturing the banner during initial climb, the ground crewmember noticed the banner rope was becoming slack; he looked up and saw the airplane about 300 feet above ground level (agl) as the right wing dropped suddenly. The banner was released, and the rudder deflected to the left as the airplane entered a right spin. As the airplane entered the spin, it went completely flat and rotated clockwise several times before it impacted the adjacent field.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot, age 44, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on May 15, 2018 and at the time of the exam, he weighed 178 pounds. He reported 2,557 hours of flight experience as of his last logbook entry on June 8, 2018 and his last flight review was conducted on April 6, 2017.

The private pilot-rated passenger, age 34, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on October 23, 2014 and at the time of the exam, he weighed 230 pounds and he reported 240 hours total flight time.

According to FAA records, the airplane was issued a standard airworthiness certificate in the normal category on August 27, 2012. It was a tandem two-place, externally braced high-wing airplane, that was equipped with fixed tricycle landing gear, and a Lycoming O-360, 180-horsepower engine with a two-blade wood constant-speed propeller manufactured by M&T. The airframe had accumulated 3,785 hours of operation and the engine had 1,788.35 hours total time as of the last 100-hour inspection on July 27, 2018.

A surface observation weather report taken at Jack Edwards National Airport (JKA)

Gulf Shores, Alabama at 0955, located about 6 nautical miles south of the accident site, indicated the wind was calm, the visibility was 10 statute miles, and scattered clouds at 2,400 ft. The temperature and dew point were 29°C and 24°C, respectively, and the altimeter setting was 30.15 inches of mercury.

The airplane impacted a field about 200 ft west of runway 18, and the wreckage was oriented on a magnetic heading of 243°. The airplane struck the ground in a flat, upright attitude and was consumed by a post-crash fire. The wreckage area was compact, and all airframe, control surfaces and engine components were located at the scene. The propeller was shattered about 6 inches out from the hub and several pieces of the propeller were found about 30 feet away from the wreckage in two opposing directions.

The entire fuselage exhibited significant impact and thermal damage. There was a strong odor of fuel at the site, and a large area of grass surrounding the wreckage was burned. The right and left wings remained attached to the fuselage via control cables. The center spar and struts were deformed and melted near the fuselage attach points. The landing gear was folded out flat on each side of the fuselage The cockpit and all instrumentation, switches and gauges were destroyed by impact and thermal forces.

The vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilator, and trim tab control surfaces remained attached. Rudder control continuity was confirmed from the rudder to the rudder pedals. Elevator control cable continuity was established through cuts made to facilitate the wreckage recovery from the control stick to the elevator control surface. Aileron control continuity was confirmed from the right aileron to the control stick. Continuity of left aileron control cables was traced from the aileron through the fuselage and exhibited fracture features consistent with cuts made by emergency rescue personnel.

The left wing fuel tank was ruptured and thermally damaged. The right tank was ruptured and thermally damaged and contained about 3 gallons of aviation fuel.

The flap actuator was damaged by impact forces and the flaps were consumed by fire. The flap handle in the cockpit was destroyed. The flap setting could not be determined.

The engine remained largely intact although it was thermally damaged. Engine compression and suction were confirmed through several rotations of the propeller hub. All valves, pushrods and springs operated normally. The spark plugs remained secured to their respective cylinders. The spark plugs were removed and examined. They appeared to have minimal wear when compared to the Champion Check-A-Plug chart and did not display any evidence of carbon or lead fouling that would preclude normal operation. The pistons appeared well lubricated and there was no interior engine damage observed that would preclude normal operation.

The magneto switch in the cockpit was exposed to thermal damage. The left and right magnetos were damaged by impact and thermal forces and could not be tested. The oil pump remained intact and was well lubricated and functioned normally. The carburetor and gascolator were damaged by impact forces and could not be tested. No pre-accident anomalies were noted with the engine.

Fuel samples taken from the fuel pump and from the remaining fuel in the right engine showed no evidence of water or contamination

The advertising banner (billboard) remained on the runway in the banner pickup area. It measured 20 feet by 65 feet, and it had a 30-foot-long panel banner trailing the main billboard for a total length of 95 ft. It was attached to a 300-ft banner rope that was connected to a 16 ft tow rope with an attached grappling hook on the end. The airplane end of the tow rope was connected to the airplane by a manually operated clasp.

The airplane was recovered from the accident site and retained for additional examination.