Primary finding
Probable cause
entanglement of the tow banner during banner pickup, and subsequent failure or inability to jettison the banner. A factor relating to the accident was: high gusty wind condition.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After taking off from runway 15, the pilot initiated a banner pickup in winds that were from 230 degrees at 24 with gusts to 33 knots. The pilot reported that the banner became tangled during pickup, which created more drag than the airplane could overpower. According to him, 'the banner opened up like a parachute and raised above the airplane which made the release mechanism inoperable and unable to release.' Subsequently, the airplane touched down in a field approximately 1,200 feet beyond the departure end of the runway and was damaged.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 17, 1996, at 1429 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 305A, N5245G, sustained substantial damage when the landing gear collapsed during a forced landing near Erie, Colorado. The commercial pilot was not injured. The flight was operating as a banner tow flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The aircraft had been airborne approximately 1 minute when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. According to the pilot, he had picked up a banner for a banner tow operation. Strong winds caught the banner and the pilot could not control the aircraft. Wind at the time of the accident was recorded as being from 230 degrees magnetic at 24 knots with gusts to 33 knots. The flight had departed from runway 15 and came to rest approximately 1,200 feet beyond the departure end of the runway in an open field. -