Piper PA12 N3703M

Summary

On 16 July 2022 at about 13:35 local time, a Piper PA12 registered N3703M, operated by Paramount Air Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Middle Township, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 July 2022 at 13:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Middle Township, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Paramount Air Airport (JY04)

Coordinates

39.0648, -74.9086

Aircraft

Piper PA12

Registration

N3703M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Paramount Air Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22FA315

1 person died.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a missed banner pickup, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control at an altitude too low to recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The banner tow pilot had worked for the operator for about 2 months, and the accident flight was the first flight of the day. The pilot departed from the runway and flew a left traffic pattern to pick up the banner at the approach end of the opposite runway, which was normal procedure. Witnesses stated that the airplane descended between the poles, missed the banner, and the pilot initiated an aggressive, almost vertical climb. One witness stated that it appeared as though the accident pilot "kicked rudder" at the top of the climb to see if he had picked up the banner. The airplane entered an aerodynamic stall/spin and descended to ground contact. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the banner pickup attempt, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control at an altitude too low to recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.