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Pilot survives after banner plane goes down off New Smyrna Beach

By 3 min read

The pilot of a small banner-towing airplane survived after the aircraft went down in the ocean off New Smyrna Beach late Thursday morning, authorities said.

CFL Report coverage related to Pilot survives after banner plane goes down off New Smyrna Beach
Image from the original CFL Report Facebook coverage.

The crash was reported shortly before 11 a.m. on Aug. 27, south of the 27th Avenue beach approach. The pilot was the only person aboard. Volusia County Beach Safety Director Tamra Malphurs told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that no injuries were reported and that the pilot was taken to a hospital as a precaution. Other local reporting described any injuries as not life-threatening.

No one on the beach or in the water was reported hurt. Witnesses told WFTV that the plane was flying low before it struck the shallow water and flipped. Bystanders and a lifeguard moved toward the aircraft, and the pilot was able to get out and reach shore.

Two videos show the same incident

CFL Report posted an initial reel identifying the aircraft as a banner plane and reporting that the pilot escaped. A later reel presented a longer view of the emergency landing and response. Read together, the two posts show the initial report and the later emergency response to the same event.

The footage is valuable as a visual record of the scene, but it cannot establish what failed aboard the aircraft. Descriptions of a pop or a quiet engine are witness observations, not a mechanical finding. No reviewed official source has announced a cause.

Federal investigation underway

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified, according to reports citing authorities and the FAA. The FAA’s preliminary-data page cautions that early accident and incident information is subject to change. A preliminary notice or NTSB docket specific to this crash had not been located in sources reviewed through Sept. 7.

The News-Journal reported that the aircraft was a single-engine 1955 Piper registered to Aerial Messages Leasing. Because that identification was not independently confirmed against the FAA registration record or a federal preliminary report, it is not used in the headline or graphic.

The central verified facts are straightforward: the aircraft came down in the ocean near New Smyrna Beach, the pilot was alone and got out, authorities reported no serious injuries to the pilot and no injuries to others, and federal aviation officials were alerted. CFL Report is not attributing a cause to engine trouble, fuel, pilot decision-making or maintenance before investigators release their findings.

CFL Report will update this story if the FAA or NTSB posts a preliminary record. Such a record may confirm the aircraft registration, flight phase and extent of damage, but it still would not be a final probable-cause determination.

Sources: wftv.com, cmg-cmg-tv-10070-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com, faa.gov, aol.com, fox13news.com.