NTSB Factual Report

On August 31, 2008, about 0925 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, N7482D, sustained substantial damage after impacting terrain while maneuvering at the Camarillo Airport (CMA), Camarillo, California. The commercial pilot, the airplane's sole occupant, was killed. The airplane was operated by Van Wagner Aerial Media of Hollywood, Florida, in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local banner tow flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed CMA about 5 minutes prior to the accident.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector who responded to the accident site, 4 witnesses, 3 of which witnessed the airplane's impact with terrain, submitted statements relative to the accident sequence.

Witness #1 reported observing the pilot "...start his descent from downwind to base, continued base to final, losing altitude and leveled off about 10 feet above the ground, maybe 150 feet before the pickup point." The witness stated that as [the pilot] approached the pickup point "...I noticed a lot of rudder input. As he crossed the pickup point he pitched the nose up and applied full power and began to climb out. I saw the rope being pulled aloft and he continued his climb until the banner was pulled off the ground. He appeared to momentarily level off at about 150 above ground level, then began a rapid descent, between 35 degrees and 45 degrees, hitting the ground with a 'pop' sound and a cloud of dust."

Witness #2, a ground crew employee of the banner tow company, reported that as the pilot came in on approach to pick up the banner, "...he rotated very low and caught the banner pickup loop on the main gear. I have seen other planes pick up on the mains without any problems, so I was not expecting anything serious." The witness did not observe the descent or the subsequent impact with terrain.

Witness #3 reported that after watching the pilot depart from Runway 26, he observed him climb to about 400 feet, turned right and maintained 400 feet before turning downwind. The witness stated, "Just past the end of the runway on downwind he [the pilot] pulled back on the throttle. He made a short, sweeping base turn and a short final, all the time descending." The witness revealed that when he observed the airplane cross the banner rope, "...his wings were approximately 15 feet above the ground. When he caught the rope the banner started to lift. He [the pilot] added full power and climbed at an angle of 45 degrees to an altitude of approximately 150 feet. He then leveled off for about 2 seconds, the airplane's nose dropped about 30 degrees and remained at that angle until it hit the ground." The witness reported that as the airplane approached the ground "...I could see the elevator going up and down, but the plane did not go up or down or change direction. The engine appeared to be running normally. It looked like the plane was being pulled to the ground as if the rope was caught on the landing gear. I never saw the rope connected to the hook at the rear of the plane."

Witness #4, a Van Wagner pilot who was about to board his airplane for an advertising flight, reported that a ground crewman advised him that "...a plane had the lead rope on the main gear. I turned and watched as the banner lifted and the aircraft leveled off. I was surprised to see the aircraft then appear to attempt to land straight ahead in the clear banner area, which is not normal procedure. The engine was running and the aircraft appeared to be in a straight glide ahead. I did not hear the engine power increase as it descended. The aircraft struck the ground at the same angle of the glide (I estimate a 30 to 40 degree angle from the horizontal).

Company personnel provided the Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) with a description of The Approach for Banner Pick Up procedure, which states, "While the hook is out, overfly the pickup area and locate your flag and banner. Reenter the downwind at 400 feet and cruise power (2,300 RPM minimum). As you turn base, reduce power to establish an 80 to 85 miles per hour approach speed, maintaining a 15 degree to 20 degree approach angle until the rotation point, remembering to establish full power before rotating. The stronger the headwind, the closer the rotation point is to the poles. Rotation serves to swing the hook down and forward to snag the rope, as opposed to a flat approach that drags the hook across the rope. As you rotate, raise the nose to approximately 20 degrees to 30 degrees above the horizon (less in a strong head wind). At 150 feet pull the power back and smoothly level out so as to be in level flight at an altitude of 200 feet. Your airspeed at this point should be about 60 to 65 MPH and the banner should be leaving the ground. At this point apply full power. You may have to apply forward elevator pressure to keep the nose from pitching up as the weight and added drag of the banner acts on the tail of the aircraft. Maintain level flight until the banner gets off the ground, and then initiate your climb. It is important that the engine is developing full power before passing the poles. On climb-out after takeoff, be sure to lean mixture for maximum RPMs. It is also important that your speed is not less than 60 MPH at the top of the pickup climb. Do not lose altitude when leveling off or level off too quickly, as the aircraft may sink due to the drag of the banner."

The pilot, age 53, possessed a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot received his most recent second-class medical certificate on June 23, 2008, with the limitation "Must wear corrective lenses." At this time the pilot listed his total flying time as 1,968 hours.

According to the company's Director of Operations, the accident pilot had accumulated a total of 260.2 hours of banner tow time in the PA-18 airplane during his employment with the company. Company records also indicated that the pilot's most recent recurrent training occurred on January 13, 2008, which consisted of 0.5 hours of ground instruction, with the training form annotated, "[The pilot] was observed later picking a banner with N105F, and he demonstrated proper safe operational procedures as discussed." Additionally, the pilot received recurrent training on October 12, 2007, which included 0.5 hours of ground instruction and 0.5 hours of flight recurrent training on "banner pick profile and procedures," which was conducted by the company's chief pilot. The chief pilot noted, "At issue is [the pilot's] picking a banner with the main gear. [The pilot] did a successful job demonstrating safe operational procedures." A statement submitted to the IIC by the company's Director of Operations confirmed that the accident pilot "...did in fact have an issue back in October 07, when operating in Waco, Texas, he picked a banner up with the main gear and had to land with the banner."

On September 8, 2008, under the supervision of a Safety Board Air Safety Investigator, an examination of the engine and airframe was conducted at a secured salvage facility. The examination revealed that no anomalies existed with the airplane, which would have precluded normal operation.

At 0955, the Automated Surface Observing Facility located at the Camarillo Airport, reported wind 230 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 9 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 23 degrees Celsius, dew point 17 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.77 inches of Mercury.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to fly the correct approach profile that resulted in the inadvertent pickup of a banner tow line with the airplane's main landing gear.