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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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NTSB Report

October 15, 1993 · Cessna A188 · N8020V

Burleson, TX

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
October 15, 1993
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 serious injury)
Location
Burleson, TX
Aircraft
Cessna A188
Tail Number
N8020V
Operator
Skyways Advertising
Injuries
Serious
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
NTSB Number
FTW94LA012

THE PILOT MISSED THE BANNER PICKUP ON THE FIRST PASS. HE STATED THAT AS HE TURNED DOWNWIND IN A 60 DEGREE BANK, HE APPLIED 'HARD LEFT RUDDER' TO CHECK THE GRAPPLE FOR TANGLES AND THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STALL. WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ANGLE OF BANK WAS 90 DEGREES AND THE ALTITUDE WAS LESS THAN 100 FEET AGL. THEY OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE ROLL BACK WINGS LEVEL, THEN ENTER A RIGHT NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE UNTIL IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-IMPACT ENGINE POWER LOSS WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.

NTSB Probable Cause

WAS THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO A STALL. A FACTOR WAS HIS ABRUPT MANEUVERING OF THE AIRPLANE AT LOW ALTITUDE.

Full Narrative

On October 15, 1993, approximately 1730 central daylight time, a Cessna A188, N8020V, was destroyed by impact and post-crash fire at Spinks Airport in Burleson, Texas. The airplane, flown by a commercial pilot, had taken off on what was to have been a local banner towing flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot received serious injuries. According to the operator's chief pilot, the pilot was attempting to do a banner pickup, adjacent to the runway. He stated that the pilot missed the banner on the first attempt and went around. The pilot stated that he contacted the tower for a second pass and entered a left turn for a downwind to the north. He further stated that he banked the airplane about 60 degrees in order to look at the grapple hook to make sure that it was not tangled. He said that he had to apply "hard left rudder to get the tail around and it looked good. Next thing I saw the airplane head into stall sinking and I crash landed." Witnesses estimated the bank angle at 90 degrees and the altitude as less than 100 feet AGL. The airplane was subsequently observed to roll wings level and then nose down in a right wing down attitude and cartwheel. The witnesses stated that the engine appeared to be operating normally throughout the flight. Following recovery, the engine was disassembled and examined with the FAA present. No evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction was found. Examination of the propeller indicated that the attachment bolts had sheared and that both blades exhibited forward bending, twisting, gouges, and chordwise striations.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time17:30 CDT
Nearest AirportFt. Worth Spinks Airport (0nm)
Runway17
Runway Length6000 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireGrd
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftCessna A188
Tail NumberN8020V
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageDestroyed
OperatorSkyways Advertising
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsContinental · IO-520-D · Reciprocating · 300
Seats1

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 serious injury)
Fatal0
Serious1
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 44 · Second Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind180° @ 15 kt
Visibility7 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point0 C
Altimeter29.00 inHg
Observation Time22:59
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data