Piper PA25 N223AB

Summary

On 5 August 2020 at about 17:33 local time, a Piper PA25 registered N223AB, operated by Aerial Banners North, Inc., was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2020 at 17:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Miami, Florida, United States

Coordinates

25.7506, -80.1522

Aircraft

Piper PA25

Registration

N223AB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Aerial Banners North, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hollywood → Hollywood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA275

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to carburetor ice that was not detected by the pilot.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed on a banner tow flight and after takeoff, as part of his procedures, briefly checked two times for carburetor ice. Prior to beginning a descent, he applied carburetor heat a third time, but before he had time to adjust the throttle, the engine lost total power. Unable to restore power he maneuvered over water and dropped the banner as to avoid injury to any persons or property then maneuvered for a forced landing on a road. After touchdown on the road, the airplane collided with a fence and went down a slight embankment before coming to rest upright. Postaccident examination and operational test run of the engine, as well as the carburetor heat system, revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of carburetor icing at glide (idle) and cruise engine power settings. Thus, it is likely that during cruise flight before the third application of carburetor heat, carburetor ice formed that was not detected by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.