Piper PA-25 N6078Z

Summary

On 19 June 1987 at about 20:03 local time, a Piper PA-25 registered N6078Z, operated by Phoenix Flight Signs, was involved in an accident near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

19 June 1987 at 20:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

33.8193, -78.6702

Aircraft

Piper PA-25

Registration

N6078Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Phoenix Flight Signs

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL87LA175

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT IN A THUNDERSTORM AND IMPACTED THE WATER DURING A BEACHSIDE BANNER TOWING OPERATION. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD OBSERVED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING INLAND ABOUT 1/2 HR PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND THAT HIS ACFT WAS 'OVERTAKEN' BY THE STORMS BEFORE HE COULD RETURN TO HIS BASE. HE ADDED FULL POWER AND RELEASED THE BANNER WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED THE DOWNDRAFT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ARREST THE HIGH SINK RATE THAT DEVELOPED. THE PLT WAS ASKED IF HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE THUNDERSTORM AVOIDANCE PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED IN THE AIRMAN'S INFORMATION MANUAL. THE PLT REPLIED THAT HE WAS AWARE OF THEM, BUT THAT HE COULDN'T SHUT DOWN BANNER TOWING OPERATIONS JUST BECAUSE A THUNDERSTORM WAS WITHIN 10 MILES OF HIS OPERATIONS AREA.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.