14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 19, 2012 in Berlin, MD
Probable Cause Approval Date: 08/07/2014
Aircraft: PIPER PA-18-150, registration: N4330Z
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The airplane was returning from a midmorning banner tow on a hot and humid day. The pilot made all of the standard radio calls and dropped the banner at the appropriate time. According to several witnesses, the drop was normal; however, instead of adding power and turning right after the drop per normal company procedures, the airplane continued straight ahead, and no power was added. About 1/2 mile beyond the drop area, the airplane stalled and entered a left spin, then hit a large oak tree, impacted the ground, and was subsequently consumed in a postcrash fire. The accident site was located on an abandoned golf course with multiple areas of open flat land both in its immediate vicinity and between the site and the banner drop area. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and propeller damage indicated the presence of engine power at impact. Fellow pilots reported that the pilot was known for consistently flying correct patterns, was considered the most cautious in the group of banner pilots, and would radio anytime he thought something was abnormal, but he made no radio calls after the banner drop. The pilot had gone for a run earlier that morning. After the run, the pilot noted to another pilot how “heavy” the air felt and how he couldn’t “get a full breath.” He twice stated to another pilot that he had a headache. He called his wife during the flight, and she reported that the conversation was “normal” and that the pilot did not mention a headache. Autopsy results did not reveal evidence of pilot incapacitation; however, the heat from the postcrash fire affected the extent and fidelity of available medical evidence. However, other evidence, such as the pilot’s failure to turn the airplane and add power as he normally would; his failure to announce any difficulties as he typically did; his failure to use other available landing sites, if needed, and instead continue straight ahead for 1/2 mile; and his failure to maintain airspeed suggests that it is likely that he was unable to perform basic piloting functions due to incapacitation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
Pilot incapacitation of unknown origin, which resulted in the airplane’s loss of control and an inadvertent aerodynamic stall/spin.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
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.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
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.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
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).
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
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.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
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.
http://registry.faa.gov/N4330Z
NTSB Identification: ERA12FA465
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 19, 2012 in Berlin, MD
Aircraft: PIPER PA-18-150, registration: N4330Z
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
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.
According to several witnesses, the accident pilot was inbound to drop his first banner of the day and he radioed all three reporting points as he normally would. The southbound drop was also normal; however, instead of subsequently adding power and commencing a right turn per procedures, 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, that he was considered the most cautious of the group, and that he 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.
The airplane 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, ½ nautical mile from the banner drop.
The airframe was mostly consumed by fire, with primarily 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 bent 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 bending, 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 90-degree bending near one end, and multiple bends and chordwise scratching on the other end. Approximately 25 feet of main tree trunk 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 are consistent with the presence of engine power at the time of impact.
FAA IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 4330Z Make/Model: PA18 Description: PA-18 Super Cub
Date: 07/19/2012 Time: 1450
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: BERLIN State: MD Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON A GOLF COURSE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND. BERLIN, MD
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 0 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
Activity: Aerial Application Phase: Approach Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: BALTIMORE, MD (EA07) Entry date: 07/20/2012
BERLIN -- A banner plane crashed early Thursday in Worcester County outside Berlin, killing the pilot.
Maryland State Police said 23-year-old Garett Colona of Rhodesdale was the pilot and only occupant.
The pilot was dropping off one banner to pick up another, police said. Witnesses reported the fixed-wing Piper Super Cub appeared to have engine trouble and clipped a large tree.
The single-engine plane went down on the grounds of the defunct Beach Club Golf Links off Deer Park Road outside Berlin, police said.
State troopers from the Berlin barrack responded to a 911 call at 10:52 a.m. Authorities arrived at the Bunting family airfield at Carey Road in the Berlin area, where the aircraft was based.
Police said they've notified the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, and that the investigation is ongoing.
The crash site was a far-flung spot about "in the middle" of the golf course, according to Lt. Mike McDermott of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office.
There were no golfers on the course at the time. Beach Club Golf Links closed in 2010, according to Kim Ruark with property owner Ruark Golf.
The closure is obvious to passers-by; waist-high grass obscured the unattended sign at the course entrance on Deer Park Road.
Nearby, state police and sheriff's patrol cars blocked Deer Park Road to oncoming traffic as investigators tended to the crash site.
The plane was in the service of Ocean Aerial Ads Inc., a banner plane operation based at the Bunting Hidden Acres property.
According to the Ocean Aerial website, the business is owned and operated by the Bunting family and has flown banners since 1982.
At the hangar midday Thursday, Ocean Aerial owner Robert Bunting told a reporter that the business had not had a banner plane fatality in 19 years. He said his thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
Bunting himself has lost a family member in a banner tow accident.
In an interview last August with The Daily Times, Bunting said his brother died in a 1983 crash, after a banner became entangled around the landing gear of the plane.
"I don't like to talk about it much," Bunting said at the time. "Accidents happen. Just like cars. It's the bad part, just like with anything."
Over crowds, banner planes fly at about 40 mph, and about 60 mph while in transit between hangar and the beach, Bunting also said in that interview.
Since 1983, there have been nine reported banner plane crashes by aircraft owned and operated by Ocean Aerial Ads, according to the website AirCrashed.com, which makes public Federal Aviation Administration crash records and incident reports.
Of those, there were four reported fatalities.
The last reported Ocean Aerial banner plane incident was June 27, 2001. Upon landing, stiff crosswinds pushed the banner plane off the runway and into a mound of dirt, according to an FAA report.
The last reported death in an Ocean Aerial banner plane was June 29, 1991. The Piper J5 was on a banner towing flight when it crashed during a banner pickup attempt, according to the FAA report. An examination of the airplane did not show evidence of mechanical failure or banner entanglement, the report said.
A pilot and two passengers died Aug. 24, 1997, when their sight-seeing biplane crashed into the ocean after doing aerobatics. That aircraft was owned by Robert Bunting and operated by Ocean Aerial but was not a banner tow plane in this incident, according to the FAA crash report.
The pilot was dropping off one banner to pick up another, police said. Witnesses reported the fixed-wing Piper Super Cub appeared to have engine trouble and clipped a large tree.
The single-engine plane went down on the grounds of the defunct Beach Club Golf Links off Deer Park Road outside Berlin, police said.
State troopers from the Berlin barrack responded to a 911 call at 10:52 a.m. Authorities arrived at the Bunting family airfield at Carey Road in the Berlin area, where the aircraft was based.
Police said they've notified the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, and that the investigation is ongoing.
The crash site was a far-flung spot about "in the middle" of the golf course, according to Lt. Mike McDermott of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office.
There were no golfers on the course at the time. Beach Club Golf Links closed in 2010, according to Kim Ruark with property owner Ruark Golf.
The closure is obvious to passers-by; waist-high grass obscured the unattended sign at the course entrance on Deer Park Road.
Nearby, state police and sheriff's patrol cars blocked Deer Park Road to oncoming traffic as investigators tended to the crash site.
The plane was in the service of Ocean Aerial Ads Inc., a banner plane operation based at the Bunting Hidden Acres property.
According to the Ocean Aerial website, the business is owned and operated by the Bunting family and has flown banners since 1982.
At the hangar midday Thursday, Ocean Aerial owner Robert Bunting told a reporter that the business had not had a banner plane fatality in 19 years. He said his thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
Bunting himself has lost a family member in a banner tow accident.
In an interview last August with The Daily Times, Bunting said his brother died in a 1983 crash, after a banner became entangled around the landing gear of the plane.
"I don't like to talk about it much," Bunting said at the time. "Accidents happen. Just like cars. It's the bad part, just like with anything."
Over crowds, banner planes fly at about 40 mph, and about 60 mph while in transit between hangar and the beach, Bunting also said in that interview.
Since 1983, there have been nine reported banner plane crashes by aircraft owned and operated by Ocean Aerial Ads, according to the website AirCrashed.com, which makes public Federal Aviation Administration crash records and incident reports.
Of those, there were four reported fatalities.
The last reported Ocean Aerial banner plane incident was June 27, 2001. Upon landing, stiff crosswinds pushed the banner plane off the runway and into a mound of dirt, according to an FAA report.
The last reported death in an Ocean Aerial banner plane was June 29, 1991. The Piper J5 was on a banner towing flight when it crashed during a banner pickup attempt, according to the FAA report. An examination of the airplane did not show evidence of mechanical failure or banner entanglement, the report said.
A pilot and two passengers died Aug. 24, 1997, when their sight-seeing biplane crashed into the ocean after doing aerobatics. That aircraft was owned by Robert Bunting and operated by Ocean Aerial but was not a banner tow plane in this incident, according to the FAA crash report.
Owner of Ocean Aerial, which flies advertising banners over beaches, says pilot was 'super guy'
A pilot working for an Eastern Shore company that flies advertising banners over Ocean City beaches each summer was killed Thursday after his plane crashed on a golf course in Worcester County, according to Maryland State Police.
The pilot, identified by police as Garett Colona, 23, of the 5000 block of Sharptown Road in Rhodesdale, was a "super guy" beloved by all the company's other pilots, said Bob Bunting, owner of plane operator Ocean Aerial Ads Thursday afternoon.
"This was one of the nicest individuals I've ever known in my life," Bunting said. "We're in shock."
Police were first called to the small Bunting Airport in the 9700 block of Carey Road in Berlin about 10:50 a.m. for reports of a crash in the adjacent golf course, which was not identified, said Sgt. Marc Black, a police spokesman.
Witnesses at the scene told police the plane, a Piper Super Cub, appeared to have engine trouble after dropping an advertising banner, police said. Witnesses said the wing of the plane then appeared to strike a large tree before crashing, police said.
Colona was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured, Black said.
Bunting said the plane was making a turn, without a banner attached, when things went wrong. He said he couldn't speculate further, and that more information on the crash would have to come from the Federal Aviation Administration's investigation.
Black said the FAA is working in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board in investigating the crash. Bunting said he would cooperate fully with investigators.
His company, which began almost 30 years ago and has its offices in Berlin near the airport, had not had a banner plane fatality since 1993, he said.
Bunting described Thursday's crash as a tragedy for an otherwise "fun business."
The company flies banners from Ocean City north to Lewes, Del., including over Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach.
Though it will be difficult, planes will continue to fly over the beach this summer, Bunting said.
"The business goes on," he said. "There're car crashes every day, there're airplane crashes. It's just a very unfortunate thing, but we don't stop driving cars and we don't stop flying airplanes."
http://www.baltimoresun.com
A pilot working for an Eastern Shore company that flies advertising banners over Ocean City beaches each summer was killed Thursday after his plane crashed on a golf course in Worcester County, according to Maryland State Police.
The pilot, identified by police as Garett Colona, 23, of the 5000 block of Sharptown Road in Rhodesdale, was a "super guy" beloved by all the company's other pilots, said Bob Bunting, owner of plane operator Ocean Aerial Ads Thursday afternoon.
"This was one of the nicest individuals I've ever known in my life," Bunting said. "We're in shock."
Police were first called to the small Bunting Airport in the 9700 block of Carey Road in Berlin about 10:50 a.m. for reports of a crash in the adjacent golf course, which was not identified, said Sgt. Marc Black, a police spokesman.
Witnesses at the scene told police the plane, a Piper Super Cub, appeared to have engine trouble after dropping an advertising banner, police said. Witnesses said the wing of the plane then appeared to strike a large tree before crashing, police said.
Colona was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured, Black said.
Bunting said the plane was making a turn, without a banner attached, when things went wrong. He said he couldn't speculate further, and that more information on the crash would have to come from the Federal Aviation Administration's investigation.
Black said the FAA is working in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board in investigating the crash. Bunting said he would cooperate fully with investigators.
His company, which began almost 30 years ago and has its offices in Berlin near the airport, had not had a banner plane fatality since 1993, he said.
Bunting described Thursday's crash as a tragedy for an otherwise "fun business."
The company flies banners from Ocean City north to Lewes, Del., including over Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach and Rehoboth Beach.
Though it will be difficult, planes will continue to fly over the beach this summer, Bunting said.
"The business goes on," he said. "There're car crashes every day, there're airplane crashes. It's just a very unfortunate thing, but we don't stop driving cars and we don't stop flying airplanes."
http://www.baltimoresun.com
NEWS RELEASE: MARYLAND STATE POLICE ON SCENE OF A PLANE CRASH IN WORCESTER COUNTY
The victim is identified as the pilot and is believed to be the sole occupant of the plane at the time of the crash. The pilot’s identity will not be released pending notification of the next of kin. The plane is identified as a Piper Super Cub.
At approximately 10:50 a.m. today, troopers from the Berlin Barrack responded to Bunting Airport on Carey Road, in Berlin, Maryland, after receiving 9-1-1 calls reporting the crash. Witnesses reported the plane appeared to be having engine trouble after dropping an advertising banner. Witnesses also informed police that the aircraft’s wing appeared to have struck a large tree before crashing to the ground.
State Police have notified officials with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. The investigation continues…
WBOC Chopper 16 aerial photo of the plane crash scene. Not much was left of the aircraft after it struck a tree.
~
Investigators survey the scene of this banner plane that crashed outside Berlin, Md., today. The pilot was killed in the crash.
ROB KORB/The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times
Smoke billows from the airplane crash as investigators survey the scene of this banner plane in Berlin on Thursday. The pilot was killed in the crash.
Rob Korb
BERLIN, Md. (CBSDC/AP) — For the second time this week a person has died in a small plane crash.
A plane crashed Thursday morning around 10:50 a.m. in Berlin, Md. Maryland State Police said the pilot is believed to be the only occupant of the Piper Super Cub plane.
Police say witnesses reported the plane appeared to be having engine trouble after dropping an advertising banner. Witnesses also told police that the aircraft’s wing appeared to have struck a large tree before crashing into the ground.
State police have notified officials with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, and the investigation is continuing.
On Monday, a single-engine plane crashed near Davis Airport in Gaithersburg, killing flight instructor Frank Schmidt. A passenger in that crash was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
BERLIN — A banner plane has crashed in Worcester County outside Berlin, killing the pilot, according to police.
The pilot of the single-engine, fixed wing aircraft died in the crash. The victim's name has not been released. It's unclear if the crash occurred at takeoff or landing. The pilot was the only passenger, according to Sgt. Van Muir of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office.
He said authorities were dispatched to the Beach Club Golf Links golf course at 10:57 a.m. to a report of a plane crash.
The crash investigation is being handled by the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation and the Maryland State Police. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified of the incident, according to Lt. Mike McDermott of the Sheriff's Office.
McDermott also said the crash site was about "in the middle" of the golf course.
The course has clearly been closed for quite some time; waist-high grass covered the unattended sign at the course entrance on Deer Park Road.
The plane was working for Ocean Aerial Ads, Inc., a banner plane service based at the Bunting Hidden Acres farm on Carey Road in Berlin.
At the hangar at midday Thursday, a man with Ocean Aerial told a reporter at the hangar that the business had not had a banner plane fatality in 19 years. The man declined to give his name.
According to the Ocean Aerial website, the business is owned and operated by the Bunting family and has flying banners since 1982.
Ocean Aerial owner Robert Bunting in an August 2011 interview with The Daily Times about the business said his brother Ralph was killed in 1983 after a banner he picked up got caught around the landing gear of the plane, causing it to stall.
"I don't like to talk about it much," Bunting said, at the time. "Accidents happen. Just like cars. It's the bad part, just like with anything."
Over crowds, banner planes fly at about 40 mph, and about 60 mph while in transit between hangar and beach, according to that 2011 report.
