Piper PA-20 accident near Fort Walton Bch, Florida, April 3, 1993
On April 3, 1993 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-20, registered N7011K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Walton Bch, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE GRAPPLE HOOK/CABLE AFTER DEPLOYMENT, TO ENSURE IT WAS FREE FROM ALL CONTROL SURFACES PRIOR TO INITIATING A BANNER PICKUP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1993 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Walton Bch, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20 · all PA-20s on the register
- Registration
- N7011K · registry record · serial 20-117
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT RELEASED A GRAPPLE HOOK IN PREPARATION OF PICKING UP A BANNER, AND DID NOT VISUALLY CHECK THE GRAPPLE HOOK AFTER DEPLOYMENT. UPON BANNER HOOK UP, THE PILOT HAD TO APPLY FULL RIGHT RUDDER TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE GRAPPLE HOOK WAS ENTRANGLED AROUND THE RUDDER POST HORN. ATTEMPTS TO RELEASE THE BANNER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. A FORCED LANDING WAS CONDUCTED TO THE BEACH. ON LANDING ROLL OUT THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,032 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command; 390 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,477 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 29, 1992; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Boomer Aviation INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from HRT, 10 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.
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.