Boeing A-75 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, June 15, 1989
On June 15, 1989 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Boeing A-75, registered N57946, was destroyed in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE BIPLANE PILOT FAILED TO SEE AND AVOID THE COLLISION WITH THE BANNER BEING TOWED BY THE OTHER AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1989 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A-75 · all A-75s on the register
- Registration
- N57946 · registry record · serial 75-2109
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NRTHBND BANNER TOWING BIPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE BANNER BEING TOWED BY THE SOUTHBND J-3 WHILE FLYING ABT 500 FT & ABT 200 YDS OFF SHORE. THE BANNER TANGLED IN THE FRT SECTION OF THE BIPLANE & IT DID ABT 3/4 SPIN INTO THE OCEAN AT ABT A 60-DEG ANGLE. BOTH ACFT HAD BEEN OPERATING IN THE DAB ARSA W/O THE REQ RADIO CLRNCE. THE OWNER OF THE BIPLANE SAID THE PLT HAD BEEN HAVING PERSONAL PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,705 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 314 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,206 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 34J New Smyrna FL at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 pm from DAB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N57946 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.