The crash-landing of a small plane on Carlsbad State Beach that injured a 12-year-old boy was most likely due to pilot error and an empty fuel tank, according to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Piper PA18, registered to Air Ads Inc., out of Gillespie Field in El Cajon, lost engine power while towing an advertising banner on the Fourth of July. It crashed on the crowded beach near Cannon Road, then flipped over by the waterline.
According to the report, which includes factual findings and a probable cause determined by NTSB officials, the pilot of the single-engine plane, Luke William Kanagy, most likely failed to “manage the fuel system properly,” and the lack of fuel resulted in engine failure.
Previous reports suggested that the engine malfunctioned during flight.
Kanagy was not injured in the accident, but the plane struck Nicholas Baer, 12, who was on the beach at the time. Baer suffered a concussion, a sizable gash to his head and a damaged skull. He underwent emergency brain surgery at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Doctors later reported that the surgery was successful.
The report, which was released last week, comes in the midst of a lawsuit, filed by Nicholas’ family in San Diego Superior Court, against Kanagy, the banner advertising company Air Ads, and its owner James Oakley.
Attorney David S. Casey Jr., who is representing Nicholas’ family in the suit, said the final report helps prove that the boy’s injuries are directly due to Kanagy’s negligence.
“He just ran out of gas. It’s something that should never have occurred,” Casey said. “It’s a clear error on behalf of the pilot.”
NTSB investigator Howard Plagens, whose analysis of the plane and crash site was used to compile the report, said the aircraft had two fuel tanks, one on the left and right. The plane was also equipped with a fuel selector valve, which allows the pilot to switch fuel tanks when one is running low during flight.
Plagens said there was fuel in the right tank, but the plane’s selector valve was pointing to the left tank, which was empty.
The Carlsbad crash is one of more than 25 accidents involving banner planes in California over the past two decades, based on a San Diego Union-Tribune review of Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB records in August.
The cause of the California accidents vary. About a quarter were due to engine failure. More than half occurred while cruising or maneuvering the aircraft, records show, and 62 percent resulted in injury or death.
Aviation experts say banner flying isn’t necessarily dangerous, but planes do fly at low altitudes — usually above crowded areas.
Casey said Nicholas is still recovering from the accident, but he’s able to participate in sports again, which is “a step in a positive direction.”
Oakley, owner of Air Ads, said he could not comment on the accident or the report because of the pending lawsuit, but confirmed that Kanagy is no longer an employee with the company.
According to the most recent FAA Airmen Certification Database, Kanagy is licensed to fly commercially and is a certified flight instructor of single-engine planes.
Messages to Kanagy seeking comment went unanswered.
Source: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com
AIR ADS INC: http://registry.faa.gov/N8075P
NTSB Identification: WPR15CA207
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, July 04, 2015 in Carlsbad, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/17/2015
Aircraft: PIPER PA 18-150, registration: N8075P
Injuries: 1 Minor, 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.
The pilot stated that he was towing a banner along a beach when the engine gradually lost power, and applying carburetor heat had no effect. A forced landing was initiated on the beach, and during the landing roll the airplane struck a person before it nosed over into the surf. The engine mount, right wing, and right rear lift strut were substantially damaged.
Postaccident examination on site revealed that the fuel selector valve was in the left tank position. A follow up examination determined that no fuel was visible in the left fuel tank site gauge inside the cockpit area. The right wing filler cap was removed, and fuel was observed in the right tank. Fuel drained from the sump at the rear of the right tank, but nothing drained from the sump at the rear of the left tank. No fuel drained from the gascolator on the firewall. The operator reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to manage the fuel system properly during a banner tow operation resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
FAA Flight Standards District Office: FAA San Diego FSDO-09
The lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court was filed against El Cajon-based Air Ads Inc., company owner James Oakley and the 23-year-old pilot, James William Kanagy, according to a news release.
Nicholas Baer was struck by the small plane as it made an emergency landing on Carlsbad State Beach on the Fourth of July. Baer was bodyboarding with some friends when the Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub dove towards the crowded beach and crashed. The single-engine plane, towing an advertising banner, landed upside down in shallow water. The plane grazed Baer on the way down.
"I was kind of transitioning to skim boarding, and then... I don't know, I guess the plane just came down," Baer said in an interview with ABC News last month.
Baer was taken to Rady Children's Hospital for treatment of a gash to his head, a concussion and skull damage. He underwent surgery and was admitted to an intensive care unit. He spent only four days in the hospital. Physicians have said they expect Nicholas to make a full recovery.
Kanagy was uninjured in the crash. He told investigators the aircraft lost power for unknown reasons while towing an advertising banner over the coastline.
The family’s attorney, David S. Casey Jr., alleges that the crash was caused by negligence on behalf of the pilot and owner.
“It is simply reckless to land a plane on a crowded beach, even in the event of engine failure,” Casey said in the news release.
Casey states that the pilot violated a federal code that requires the plane to keep a 500-foot distance from people on the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Story and comments: http://www.10news.com
CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8
Nicholas Baer, 12, of Carlsbad.
Nicholas Baer, 12, planned to spend his Fourth of July body boarding with friends at Carlsbad State Beach, but plans changed about an hour into the visit. There’s been a plane crash, a family friend told the boy’s mother on the phone.
“I think he got hit in the head by the propeller,” the friend said.
The aircraft was a Piper PA18 towing an advertising banner, and a federal report about the crash is expected this week. Meanwhile, U-T Watchdog decided to check and see how common such crashes are.
Accidents involving “banner towing” are tracked by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Records show that there have been 25 aircraft accidents involving such planes in California over the past two decades, and more than 62 percent resulted in injury or death. Four accidents occurred in San Diego, and eight in Los Angeles County.
Aviation experts say banner flying isn't necessarily dangerous, but planes do fly at low elevations — usually above crowded areas — and the drag from towing a banner can put strain on the single-engine planes, which are typically used to fly advertisements.
In May 2012, a Cessna 150 towing a banner crash landed in San Diego Bay because of a mechanical malfunction. No one was injured.
According to reports from the NTSB that conducted an investigation of the incident, “both occupants reported that they did not have time to troubleshoot, due to low altitude.”
Incident records show that advertisements in the air can also distract surrounding pilots. Following a 2003 incident near Pearland, Texas, a pilot admitted to NTSB investigators that he was distracted while landing by banner towing activity adjacent to the runway. The pilot landed at the edge of the grass runway and struck a ditch, causing substantial damage to the plane.
Cities including Huntington Beach and San Francisco have attempted to ban aerial ads in recent years for safety reasons or aesthetic purposes, but dropped the efforts in fear of lawsuits or pressure from the FAA, which regulates all flight activity.
The cause of other California accidents vary. About a quarter were due to engine failure, records show, and more than half occurred while cruising or maneuvering the aircraft.
“Cars quit on a freeway. Cars sometimes fail to start,” said Barry Bardack, chief flight instructor for the Golden State Flying Club at Gillespie Field in El Cajon. “Airplane engines have an amazing ability to revive mid-air, but they also occasionally fail.”
Air Ads owner Jim Oakley declined to comment on the crash or identify the man flying the aircraft, but said the pilot was licensed to fly commercially and had the required qualifications to tow banners.
Oakley said his staff tends to be young, about 26 years old, since banner towing is a way for aspiring pilots to rack up flight time and advance to a career flying commercially.
Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the FAA Pacific division, said in an email that the agency requires all pilots or companies to meet certain standards before banner-towing flights can take place. An inspector will examine banner attaching devices or hitches to ensure that release cable mechanisms are functioning.
All pilots must have successfully completed a banner towing training program, have a reliable record of past flight experience and be able to demonstrate a sample banner pickup to FAA inspector, Gregor said.
“The most challenging part is picking up the message. Not towing it,” Oakley said. “It’s the part that creates the most excitement for a pilot.”
Planes usually take off without the banner, loop back around to the airport, and align the plane in between two poles, where the banner tow rope is suspended. If done correctly, Oakley said, a hook behind the plane will latch on to the rope and begin pulling the banner into the air.
On December 31, 2006, a pilot at Gillespie Field missed the banner tow line, pitched upward and then went into a nose-down spiral. According to incident reports, witnesses said the plane spun more than one and a half times before colliding with the runway. The pilot was killed.
In July 2013, a pilot was conducting a low fly-by for ground crew to inspect the banner. After the pass the plane began to climb and airspeed deteriorated. The airplane stalled, hit wires and crash-landed on a hillside in Long Beach. The pilot suffered minor injuries.
Lee Anne Lardy, projects manager for San Diego County airports, said pilots or companies must be approved by the FAA and have proper insurance to receive a 10-year license with the county. Information pertaining to the license must also be updated each year.
Two companies, Air Ads and Aerial Sign North Inc., are the only companies licensed with the county, Lardy said.
The Watchdog used data collected from the NTSB and FAA and reviewed accidents categorized as banner tows under the purpose of flight. The review found 191 banner-related accidents between April 1995 and July of this year. Florida reported the most accidents at 51. California had the second most with 25, followed by New Jersey and South Carolina.
In the Carlsbad crash, officials at the scene reported that the single-engine plane lost power while towing a banner advertisement over the holiday crowd on the beach near Cannon Road. It was registered to Air Ads Inc. out of Gillespie Field.
The pilot wasn’t hurt, but the boy suffered a concussion, a sizable gash to his head and a damaged skull. He underwent emergency brain surgery at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Doctors later reported that the surgery was successful and the boy is recovering well.
Original article can be found here: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com
CARLSBAD (CBS 8) - Bob Griscom, an aviation expert and lifelong pilot who served 25 years as an aircraft accident investigator with the FAA, says if the pilot had decided to land in the water instead of the beach, he may not have survived.
Bob says that unlike larger planes, the landing gears on smaller planes are not retractable.
"When you hit the water, it’s as if the landing gear hit a brick wall, then the airplane will pitch forward," says Griscom. "The windshield will immediately get a face full of ocean and the pilot will very likely become unconscious very quickly and the airplane sinks and he drowns."
Bob Griscom says the FAA and NTSB will now be investigating why the engine quit and they will be taking a closer look at the pilot, including his conduct the day before the flight.
"They will also find out how much sleep the pilot had the day before and whether he was out partying, whatever it might be," says Griscom. "They will look into all of those factors."
Story and video: http://www.cbs8.com
Bob says that unlike larger planes, the landing gears on smaller planes are not retractable.
"When you hit the water, it’s as if the landing gear hit a brick wall, then the airplane will pitch forward," says Griscom. "The windshield will immediately get a face full of ocean and the pilot will very likely become unconscious very quickly and the airplane sinks and he drowns."
Bob Griscom says the FAA and NTSB will now be investigating why the engine quit and they will be taking a closer look at the pilot, including his conduct the day before the flight.
"They will also find out how much sleep the pilot had the day before and whether he was out partying, whatever it might be," says Griscom. "They will look into all of those factors."
Story and video: http://www.cbs8.com
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