Cessna 170A accident near Miami, Florida, January 31, 1998
On January 31, 1998 at about 7:18 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N1200D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Opa Locka West airport). 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
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed during a banner pickup, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain. The lack of altitude for a stall recovery was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 1998 · about 7:18 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Opa Locka West · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N1200D · no longer on the register · serial 19754
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that the pilot prepared a personal banner and flew it over his sisters house, then dropped it at the departure airport. After he landed, he asked the owner of the banner towing company if he could fly a larger banner around the traffic pattern. The owner agreed, and the pilot took off for another banner flight. The pilot performed a long, low, straight approach toward the banner, picked it up, then while climbing, dropped the banner. The airplane was observed to continue climbing to about 200 feet, then the wings were observed to rock. The airplane then rolled to the right, pitched nose down, and impacted the ground. Witnesses reported that the engine sounded steady from the time of the banner pickup to the in-flight loss of control. Examination of the flight controls and flap system revealed no preimpact failure or malfunction. Examination of the engine revealed no mechanical failure or malfunction. The airplane was equipped with the originally installed (standard type) fixed pitch propeller.
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: 300 hours in all; 191 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,653 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1997; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X46 at 7:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from OPF, 9 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.