Piper PA-18A-150 accident near Egg Harbor, New Jersey, September 3, 1995
On September 3, 1995 at about 4:07 pm local time, a Piper PA-18A-150, registered N9374D, was destroyed in an accident near Egg Harbor, New Jersey. It was an other work-use flight 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 pull-up from a banner pickup, which resulted in a stall and collision with trees before recovering from the stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1995 · about 4:07 pm local time
- Place
- Egg Harbor, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18A-150 · all PA-18A-150s on the register
- Registration
- N9374D · no longer on the register · serial 18-6639
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane approached the field, for the first banner pick up of the day, with no indications of difficulty. The pilot made contact with the pick-up loop, entered a climb, followed by a push over at approximately 200 feet AGL. The airplane lost some altitude and regained forward speed. The pilot released the banner, and the airplane began to pitch upward, followed by a continually increasing bank/roll to the right. The airplane rolled to a full 90 degrees, until it impacted with a tree. A witness stated, 'the aircraft's engine noise sounded normal...I then heard him pull the power...very shortly after I heard the sound of impact....' At the time of the accident, the pilot had approximately 500 hours total flight time, and 60 hours in this make and model airplane. The pilot was employed by the operator about two months earlier and he had approximately 40 hours flight time in banner towing operations. The pilot next to pick up a banner stated that the winds were 'light' out of the north and there was 'no turbulence.'
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 21 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,158 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1995; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 26N Ocean City NJ at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N9374D 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.