14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, August 31, 2014 in St. Petersburg, FL
Aircraft: PIPER PA-25-260, registration: N254AB
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 August 31, 2014, at 1455 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-25-260, N254AB, operated by Aerial Banners, Inc., was destroyed when with the pilot lost control and the airplane descended to water impact following a banner pick up at Albert Whitted Airport (SPG), St. Petersburg, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The banner-tow flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the SPG tower controller, the airplane was cleared for takeoff from runway 7. As the airplane departed runway 7, the pilot made a sharp right turn to the intersecting runway. The airplane side stepped runway 18 to the left and picked up the banner. As the airplane pitched up to climb out, the pilot made a distress call before losing control and entering a downward spiral and colliding with the water.
According to a witness, they watched as the banner tow airplane picked up the banner. As they were attempting to read the banner, the airplane suddenly made a sharp bank to the left. The witness went on to say that the airplane was at a high angle of attack, stalled and went into a tight nose down spin towards the water.
The airplane impacted the water and sank in approximately 15 feet of water off of the departure end of runway 18.
AERIAL BANNERS NORTH INC: http://registry.faa.gov/N254AB
Previous Accident: August 12, 2010
http://dms.ntsb.gov/N254AB
http://www.ntsb.gov/N254AB
ST. PETERSBURG — Recovery workers retrieved a small plane Monday that crashed into Tampa Bay near Albert Whitted Airport on Sunday, killing the pilot.
It's the latest in a number of crashes by banner advertising planes at Albert Whitted over the years.
The Piper PA-23, registered to Aerial Banners Inc., crashed about 1 p.m., about 75 yards south of the airport's seawall.
Shortly after takeoff, pilot Donald Thomasson, 70, banked to the left and nose-dived into the water.
Witnesses said it sounded as if the plane lost power after it tried to pick up a banner. The plane sank quickly, leaving little time for emergency responders to save Thomasson, who was still strapped inside the cockpit of the single-seat plane.
The Coast Guard responded first, about six minutes after the crash. But it does not have a dive rescue team.
"We survey the area and get any information possible to set up a security patrol to make sure no one is going in the area who's not part of the search-and-rescue effort," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd class Ashley Johnson. "And we also ferry the person back to shore. And had the person been responsive, we would have conducted first aid on the person."
St. Petersburg Fire Rescue divers responded instead. Crews from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Pinellas Sheriff's Office also assisted the rescue effort.
Thomasson's body was transported the Coast Guard station near the airport.
Aerial Banners Inc. could not be reached Monday for comment.
"It's a dangerous business that we're in," said Robert Benyo, who owns a different banner advertising company that occasionally flies from Albert Whitted.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires companies to apply for a waiver to tow a banner. In 2007, the FAA revoked that waiver for Aerial Banners Inc.
"The revocation decision was reached after considering nine safety 'events,' ranging from paperwork violations to plane crashes, over the preceding two years," a court petition to review the FAA's decision states.
Some of these incidents, from 2005 to 2007, included crashes, a forced landing because a pilot ran out of fuel, and paperwork errors in maintenance forms.
The problems go back further.
The plane in Sunday's wreck was towed to a hangar bearing a sign that read "Advertising Air Force." That company and Aerial Banners have separate websites but share phone numbers.
City officials banned Advertising Air Force from Albert Whitted in 1986, partly because of how many crashes it had been involved in. The ban lasted about nine months.
Since then, some of the company's other crashes include:
• In 1994, an Advertising Air Force plane crashed onto a golf course due to engine problems.
• In 1997, a 6-foot metal pole rocketed into a St. Petersburg yard and nearly killed two people. The pole fell off an Advertising Air Force banner.
• In 1998, 2001 and as recently as March, Advertising Air Force planes crashed into the bay. In the March incident, the pilot picked up his banner and began his ascent when the engine suddenly failed. He crashed into the water but climbed free of the cockpit. Rescuers found him sitting atop the plane.
Thomasson's family did not want to comment Monday.
- Source: http://www.tampabay.com
In a statement released on Monday morning, Thomasson's family described him as a family man with a passion for flying.
(Photo courtesy: Thomasson family)
ST. PETERSBURG -- The pilot who was killed after crashing into Tampa Bay near Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg has been identified as 70-year-old Donald Thomasson.
Officials said the Piper PA-25 Pawnee crashed into the water around 3 p.m. Sunday about 75 yards south of the seawall at Albert Whitted Airport.
Thomasson was retrieved by divers and pronounced deceased at the scene. He was still strapped into the cockpit seat when his body was recovered, police said.
St. Petersburg police said the plane belongs to an advertisement banner towing company based at the airport.
According to witnesses, the pilot had just picked up a banner and was beginning to climb when a popping noise could be heard coming from the plane. The plane then appeared to nose down and crash into the water.
“Then the sign showed up and he was kind of straight up like that and it just barrel-rolled backwards twice and flipped over and went straight down,” said Frank Hobel, a witness.
The plane is owned by Aerial Banners Incorporated. It was fully submerged in about 25 feet of water overnight. Officials pulled it from the water and towed back to the airport Monday afternoon.
Thomasson's family released the following statement Monday morning.
"Don Thomasson was originally from Martinsville, VA who moved to Florida in the early 80s and fell in love with the beach. He was an avid pilot since his early 20s and his passion was flying. But what he loved most was his family. He was an exemplary and dedicated father, son, brother."
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
- Source: http://www.baynews9.com
NTSB Identification: ERA10CA417
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, August 12, 2010 in St. Petersburg, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/11/2011
Aircraft: PIPER PA-25-260, registration: N254AB
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
According to the pilot, he departed with the airplane's fuel tank full (75 gallons) for the local banner towing flight. He flew for about 3 hours and 30 minutes and then initiated a return to the airport. During the return flight, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Just prior to the power loss, while the airplane was in a climb, the pilot noted that the fuel gauge indicated 30 gallons of fuel remained. The pilot released the banner and performed a forced landing on a road.
A postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed approximately 8-10 ounces of fuel remained in the single main fuel tank. The main fuel feed line at the bottom of the fuel tank fuel valve contained a few ounces of fuel. The fuel tank was filled with 30 gallons of fuel to test the accuracy of the fuel gauge, which read 33 gallons of fuel. The engine was test run on the airframe. It started and ran at full power with no anomalies noted. According to the airplane's Operating Handbook, the engine burns an average of 14-16 gallons of fuel per hour, at power settings likely used by the pilot. The fueler who fueled the airplane stated that he filled the airplane to a capacity of 68 gallons of fuel, which is what the pilot specifically requested. The examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
According to the pilot, he departed with full fuel (75 gallons) in the airplane, for the local banner towing flight. He flew for about 3 hours and 30 minutes, and then initiated a return to the airport. During the return flight, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Just prior to the power loss, while the airplane was in a climb, the pilot noted that the fuel gauge indicated 30 gallons of fuel remained. The pilot released the banner and performed a forced landing to a road. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation (FAA) inspector revealed approximately 8-10 ounces of fuel in the single main fuel tank. The main fuel feed line at the bottom of the fuel tank fuel valve contained a "few ounces" of fuel. The fuel tank was filled with 30 gallons of fuel to test the accuracy of the fuel gauge, which read 33 gallons of fuel. The engine was test run on the airframe. It started and ran at full power with no anomalies noted. According to the Piper PA-25 Pilot Operating Handbook, the airplane's engine burned an average of 14-16 gallons of fuel per hour, at a power setting of 24 inches of manifold pressure and 2400 RPM. The fueler who fueled the airplane stated he filled the airplane to a capacity of 68 gallons of fuel, which is what the pilot specifically requested.
ST. PETERSBURG — After a
successful shopping trip Thursday afternoon that netted him a pair of
new shoes, Richard O'Brien was ready to leave Tyrone Square Mall.
"I pulled up to the stop sign, looked left. Traffic was stopped," the 23-year-old said. "I looked right, and there was a big, yellow plane heading toward me."
O'Brien, a recent college graduate who is visiting from London, didn't have time to put his rented Chrysler sedan in reverse.
So he ducked.
When he looked up moments later, the plane sat just inches from his window. The plane had nudged his car's front bumper, leaving a small scratch.
The pilot had made a safe and successful emergency landing on Tyrone Boulevard without anyone getting hurt.
"This has definitely been an interesting holiday," O'Brien said.
In a decade of flying, the unidentified 25-year-old pilot had never had to make an emergency landing, emergency officials said. His first, at about 6:43 p.m. Thursday, was in a spectacular setting: on a public street traveled by 30,500 vehicles a day, in front of a shopping mall bustling with back-to-school shoppers.
The single-seat Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee, which was towing a Geico advertising banner, had engine trouble on its way back to Albert Whitted Airport from a trip along the area's beaches, authorities said.
The pilot, who does about 10 to 12 such flights a week, knew he wouldn't make it back to the downtown airport. He was only 1,000 feet in the air and had to act fast, St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue officials said.
He released the banner, which landed on top of a Walgreens at 2195 66th St. N, causing no damage.
"Within five seconds, he was on Tyrone Boulevard," said District Chief Michael Domante.
The plane struck a tree with its left wing as it descended. The pilot avoided hitting a car just before landing, the chief said, but couldn't avoid sideswiping O'Brien's car on the ground.
No one was injured. No fuel leakage was reported, either.
Officials did not release the pilot's name Thursday.
• • •
The scene attracted hundreds of gawkers.
Mall security guards snapped cell phone photos while directing traffic in the parking lot. Teens rode up on bikes. Women carrying Macy's and Victoria's Secret bags trotted out and watched as police investigated. At Barnes & Noble, directly across from where the plane landed, bewildered customers came out, trying to get a better view.
"Oh my God, it's a plane," said Kendra White, 28, of St. Petersburg. "It's kind of amazing to see this, and kind of scary, too."
White and her husband live nearby, and had been school shopping at the mall just minutes before the landing.
Several people at the scene also said they recalled seeing the plane hours earlier, as it made its way around town pulling the big banner.
• • •
The plane is owned by Advertising Air Force, located at Albert Whitted Airport, according to firefighters.
The pilot had taken off about 3 p.m. Thursday on a route that took him to Clearwater, then Sarasota, then Madeira Beach.
Witnesses reported hearing the engine sputter and die, and saw the plane veer toward the mall.
"It sounded pretty smooth at first," said Matthew Lord, 31, of St. Petersburg. "Then it started to sputter. … And then we didn't hear anything."
The plane was built in 1974, according to federal records, and that type of plane is commonly used for dusting crops and towing banners.
Advertising Air Force is a longtime tenant at Albert Whitted and one of the bay area's most prominent banner advertising businesses.
The Federal Aviation Administration dispatched safety inspectors to investigate. The owner's insurance company is responsible for towing the plane to a hangar, where it will be examined as part of the investigation.
"I don't know if you can do a perfect landing in this situation," Domante said. "But he did a pretty good job, considering the situation."
Source: http://www.tampabay.com
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, August 12, 2010 in St. Petersburg, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/11/2011
Aircraft: PIPER PA-25-260, registration: N254AB
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
According to the pilot, he departed with the airplane's fuel tank full (75 gallons) for the local banner towing flight. He flew for about 3 hours and 30 minutes and then initiated a return to the airport. During the return flight, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Just prior to the power loss, while the airplane was in a climb, the pilot noted that the fuel gauge indicated 30 gallons of fuel remained. The pilot released the banner and performed a forced landing on a road.
A postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed approximately 8-10 ounces of fuel remained in the single main fuel tank. The main fuel feed line at the bottom of the fuel tank fuel valve contained a few ounces of fuel. The fuel tank was filled with 30 gallons of fuel to test the accuracy of the fuel gauge, which read 33 gallons of fuel. The engine was test run on the airframe. It started and ran at full power with no anomalies noted. According to the airplane's Operating Handbook, the engine burns an average of 14-16 gallons of fuel per hour, at power settings likely used by the pilot. The fueler who fueled the airplane stated that he filled the airplane to a capacity of 68 gallons of fuel, which is what the pilot specifically requested. The examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
According to the pilot, he departed with full fuel (75 gallons) in the airplane, for the local banner towing flight. He flew for about 3 hours and 30 minutes, and then initiated a return to the airport. During the return flight, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Just prior to the power loss, while the airplane was in a climb, the pilot noted that the fuel gauge indicated 30 gallons of fuel remained. The pilot released the banner and performed a forced landing to a road. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation (FAA) inspector revealed approximately 8-10 ounces of fuel in the single main fuel tank. The main fuel feed line at the bottom of the fuel tank fuel valve contained a "few ounces" of fuel. The fuel tank was filled with 30 gallons of fuel to test the accuracy of the fuel gauge, which read 33 gallons of fuel. The engine was test run on the airframe. It started and ran at full power with no anomalies noted. According to the Piper PA-25 Pilot Operating Handbook, the airplane's engine burned an average of 14-16 gallons of fuel per hour, at a power setting of 24 inches of manifold pressure and 2400 RPM. The fueler who fueled the airplane stated he filled the airplane to a capacity of 68 gallons of fuel, which is what the pilot specifically requested.
The pilot of the Piper
PA-25-260 Pawnee, Aerial Banners, Inc., N254AB plane that made an
emergency landing August 12, 2010 sits next to his aircraft on Tyrone
Boulevard in St. Petersburg.
"I pulled up to the stop sign, looked left. Traffic was stopped," the 23-year-old said. "I looked right, and there was a big, yellow plane heading toward me."
O'Brien, a recent college graduate who is visiting from London, didn't have time to put his rented Chrysler sedan in reverse.
So he ducked.
When he looked up moments later, the plane sat just inches from his window. The plane had nudged his car's front bumper, leaving a small scratch.
The pilot had made a safe and successful emergency landing on Tyrone Boulevard without anyone getting hurt.
"This has definitely been an interesting holiday," O'Brien said.
In a decade of flying, the unidentified 25-year-old pilot had never had to make an emergency landing, emergency officials said. His first, at about 6:43 p.m. Thursday, was in a spectacular setting: on a public street traveled by 30,500 vehicles a day, in front of a shopping mall bustling with back-to-school shoppers.
The single-seat Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee, which was towing a Geico advertising banner, had engine trouble on its way back to Albert Whitted Airport from a trip along the area's beaches, authorities said.
The pilot, who does about 10 to 12 such flights a week, knew he wouldn't make it back to the downtown airport. He was only 1,000 feet in the air and had to act fast, St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue officials said.
He released the banner, which landed on top of a Walgreens at 2195 66th St. N, causing no damage.
"Within five seconds, he was on Tyrone Boulevard," said District Chief Michael Domante.
The plane struck a tree with its left wing as it descended. The pilot avoided hitting a car just before landing, the chief said, but couldn't avoid sideswiping O'Brien's car on the ground.
No one was injured. No fuel leakage was reported, either.
Officials did not release the pilot's name Thursday.
• • •
The scene attracted hundreds of gawkers.
Mall security guards snapped cell phone photos while directing traffic in the parking lot. Teens rode up on bikes. Women carrying Macy's and Victoria's Secret bags trotted out and watched as police investigated. At Barnes & Noble, directly across from where the plane landed, bewildered customers came out, trying to get a better view.
"Oh my God, it's a plane," said Kendra White, 28, of St. Petersburg. "It's kind of amazing to see this, and kind of scary, too."
White and her husband live nearby, and had been school shopping at the mall just minutes before the landing.
Several people at the scene also said they recalled seeing the plane hours earlier, as it made its way around town pulling the big banner.
• • •
The plane is owned by Advertising Air Force, located at Albert Whitted Airport, according to firefighters.
The pilot had taken off about 3 p.m. Thursday on a route that took him to Clearwater, then Sarasota, then Madeira Beach.
Witnesses reported hearing the engine sputter and die, and saw the plane veer toward the mall.
"It sounded pretty smooth at first," said Matthew Lord, 31, of St. Petersburg. "Then it started to sputter. … And then we didn't hear anything."
The plane was built in 1974, according to federal records, and that type of plane is commonly used for dusting crops and towing banners.
Advertising Air Force is a longtime tenant at Albert Whitted and one of the bay area's most prominent banner advertising businesses.
The Federal Aviation Administration dispatched safety inspectors to investigate. The owner's insurance company is responsible for towing the plane to a hangar, where it will be examined as part of the investigation.
"I don't know if you can do a perfect landing in this situation," Domante said. "But he did a pretty good job, considering the situation."
Source: http://www.tampabay.com
Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee, Aerial Banners, Inc., N254AB
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