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Tragedy struck in Hollywood, Florida, when a banner-towing plane crashed and burst into flames on South Park Road, near Hollywood Boulevard. The pilot, who was the only passenger, did not survive the crash.
The tragic incident took place at around 12:45 pm on Wednesday, May 17. Witnesses who saw the events unfold described the crash as "heart-wrenching". Investigations were launched by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to determine what caused the crash.
CBS News reports revealed that the aircraft that went down was a single-engine Piper that belonged to Aerial Banners. The flight was stated to have departed from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines.
Video footage shows the aircraft flying dangerously low to the ground and swerving unpredictably before plummeting into concrete.
The deceased had just started out as a banner plane pilot
According to 7 News Miami, the pilot sent a distress call to Air Traffic Control, where he reported difficulties shortly after take-off and made it clear that it was crucial to drop the banner. At 400 feet, he decided to do so but it was too late.
An NBC Miami report states that, the pilot whose name has yet to be released, was in his mid 20s and was just learning to fly banner aircrafts. He was an army veteran and commercial pilot with years of experience flying commercial flights.
The crash on Wednesday was revealed by the pilot's friend to be only his first or second time flying a banner-towing aircraft.
Emergency services arrived on time and put out the fire, but there was nothing left to salvage. The pilot was pronounced dead on site.
City spokesperson, Deanne Bettineschi revealed:
"Upon impact, the plane was fully engulfed in flames and fire rescue responded to the blaze. It appeared to be a single-engine plane with one person deceased inside"
The pilot was the only casualty of the incident.
Eyewitnesses hail the deceased banner plane pilot as a hero
Once the news of the tragedy broke, the online community was quick to send their thoughts and condolences to the deceased pilot. Some users mentioned the fact that the pilot died doing what he loved.
Other users offered their thoughts and prayers to the family of the deceased pilot.
Rhonda Martinez, who witnessed the whole thing unfold, told CBS News:
"I saw the plane flying low to the left and I saw yellow and the plane with a banner and it seemed like it was losing altitude because it was going in a downward position and that seemed awfully low for a plane to be flying."
She called the experience "heart-wrenching".
Another witness, Karen Schiff, who was driving North on North park road, told Sun Sentinel:
"The flames were so hot so quick that everything burned up. All that’s left is the skeleton of the plane."
She commended the pilot's efforts in maneuvering the aircraft to avoid hitting people:
“He’s truly a hero, whoever it was, and his family needs to know that.”
Aerial Banner, Inc. notorious for similar air crash accidents
Aerial Banner, Inc., the airplane banner advertising company that owned the aircraft, has been involved in multiple other crashes.
In 2019, a banner-towing aircraft from Aerial Banner, Inc. crashed into an 18-story building in Fort Lauderdale and fell into an outdoor pool deck. The pilot did not survive the crash. Similar crashes had taken place in 2014 and 2015.
Apart from recognizing the aircraft as theirs, no official statement or response was made by the company regarding the crash that took place on Wednesday.
