N4330ZPiper PA-18-150 · 1968

On July 19, 2012, about 1050 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150, N4330Z, was substantially damaged when it impacted a tree and terrain following a tow banner drop in Berlin, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which originated at Bunting's Field (4MD1), Berlin, Maryland. The banner tow operation was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The private airfield included a single turf runway 18/36 that was 3,000 feet long and 50 feet wide. Adjacent to the runway, on its west side, was another turf strip, approximately 900 feet long and 100 feet wide, where banners were picked up and dropped.

According to the operator, on the day of the accident, and with winds generally out of the west, the two, 6-foot-high banner pick-up masts were positioned about 8 feet apart at the southern edge of the banner strip, while the banner drop area was north of the pick-up masts.

A diagram and a flight demonstration showed that pilots of returning banner flights would make three inbound radio calls, two of which were over highway landmarks. A third call would be made as each airplane proceeded southbound over transmission lines located about 800 feet north of the banner strip. Airplanes would then continue on the southerly heading while descending to about 250 feet above ground level, depending on banner size. Once over the banner strip, pilots would drop the banner, then add power, and climb the airplane while commencing a right turn. They would subsequently fly a teardrop course reversal until the airplane was headed northbound and lined up with the pick-up masts. As they were lining up, pilots would descend the airplane, then subsequently add power and snag a new banner from the pick-up masts while pitching upwards. They would continue to fly initially toward the north, before turning outbound toward their tow area assignments.

According to several witnesses, the accident pilot was inbound to drop his first banner of the day and he reported all three reporting points as he normally would. The drop was also normal; however, instead of adding power and commencing a right turn, ground personnel did not hear the addition of power, and the airplane continued straight ahead. It eventually climbed slightly, the left wing dropped, and the airplane entered a left spin. It subsequently descended into a tree, then impacted the ground and immediately caught fire.

Fellow pilots stated that the accident pilot consistently flew correct patterns, and if anything, would fly turns wider than other pilots. He was considered the most cautious of the group, and would radio anytime he felt something was abnormal; however, he did not make any radio calls when the airplane flew straight ahead rather than turn to the right.

Prior to the airplane's diversion from its normal pattern, other pilots heard the accident pilot make all of the standard radio calls.

The pilot, age 23, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane, single engine land, and instrument airplane ratings. According to the pilot's logbook, prior to the accident flight, he had 208 hours of total flight time, with 164 hours in make and model, all within the previous 42 days.

The pilot's latest FAA first class medical certificate was issued on June 29, 2011.

According to other pilots, the accident pilot had one beer, some water and a piece of pizza on the evening before the accident. He was described as, "his normal self, happy, friendly and talkative."

The next morning, the accident pilot went for a run, and subsequently mentioned to another pilot, "how heavy the air was…it feels like I can't get a full breath." The other pilot also noted how humid and hot it was that morning.

After a safety briefing, the accident pilot and two other pilots went to a convenience store and a fast food store where the accident pilot bought a drink and a biscuit before driving back to work. The accident pilot twice mentioned to one of the other pilots that he had a headache, and blamed it on the previous evening's beer, as he normally drank very little.

According to the pilot's wife, he sent her a text message from the airplane at 1037. She also noted that he had called her from the airplane about a half hour earlier, as he normally would during flights, utilizing blue tooth and his head set. It was difficult to hear him due to background airplane noise, but the approximately 10-minute conversation was "normal," and the pilot did not note any problems or headache at that time.

Weather, recorded at Ocean City, Maryland, 6 nm to the southeast, at 1053, included clear skies, wind from 240 degrees true at 6 knots, temperature 32 degrees C (90 degrees F) and dew point 24 degrees C (75 degrees F).

The wreckage was located next to a lake, at the base of an estimated 80-foot oak tree, in the vicinity of 38 degrees, 21.48 minutes north latitude, 075 degrees, 13.66 minutes west longitude. It came to rest about 185 degrees magnetic, about ½ nautical mile from the banner drop.

The site was located on an abandoned golf course, with multiple areas of open flat land both in its immediate vicinity, and between it and the banner drop area.

The airframe was mostly consumed by fire, with primarily structural tubing and control cables remaining. The airplane was inverted, with the front half sticking up from the ground at an angle of about 60 degrees. Just aft of the single pilot seat, the fuselage was folded over to where it was upside-down, and the compressed tail rested against the ground. Some of the tubing on the airplane's right side, in the area of the fold, was completely separated with jagged edges.

All flight control surfaces were accounted for at the scene. Flight control continuity was confirmed from the control stick and the rudder pedals to their respective control surfaces, except that the right rudder cable was separated, and appeared to be cut in the vicinity of where the airframe tubing was separated with jagged edges.

The engine was fire-damaged, and its condition at the site precluded confirmation of crankshaft continuity. The metal propeller, which was recovered from the lake, exhibited torsional bending, with a 90-degree bend near one end, and multiple bends and chordwise scratching on the other end. Approximately 25 feet of main tree truck was separated from the top of the oak tree, with about 80 percent of the estimated 12-inch-diameter trunk having been cut at a 45-degree angle. Propeller blade torsional bending and 45-degree tree cuts were consistent with the presence of engine power at the time of impact.

An autopsy was performed on the pilot at the State of Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Annapolis, Maryland, with cause of death stated as, "thermal burns and blunt force trauma." The report also noted no soot in the airways.

Toxicological testing was performed by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. No pre-existing anomalies were noted, and there was no evidence of carbon monoxide in the blood.

An NTSB Medical Officer's review of available information noted no evidence of medical hazards in the pilot's FAA medical information. It also noted no definitive evidence from the autopsy report that would have indicated pilot incapacitation, but that the high temperatures sustained during the postcrash fire had affected the extent and fidelity of the available evidence.