NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA98LA119
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Failure to jettison the external load and downdrafts were factors.
Factual narrative
On July 4, 1998, at 1245 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 170A, N1296D, registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 CFR Part 91 banner towing operation, collided with the terrain just after picking up a banner from the Renton Municipal Airport, Renton, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the airline transport pilot was not injured. The pilot reported that he was cleared by the tower for a low approach to pick up a banner. The pilot stated that after the banner pick-up, he applied full power and performed the "abrupt climb (normal procedure)." The pilot stated that he leveled the airplane at about 50 feet above ground level when the airplane experienced an "abnormal sink." The pilot failed to release the banner and the airplane continued to lose altitude. The airplane collided with the ground hard on the main landing gear. The left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated that the winds were shifting and that he might have encountered a downdraft. A witness reported that he observed the airplane dive towards the ground in a steady descent. The witness stated that the airplane continued its descent with no pitch change and collided with the ground "square on the mains." The witness reported that the winds were variable and gusting. The pilot reported that he was cleared for a low approach to pick up a banner. The pilot stated that after the banner pick-up, he applied full power and performed the 'normal abrupt climb.' The pilot leveled the airplane at about 50 feet when it experienced an 'abnormal sink.' The pilot stated that he failed to release the banner and the airplane continued to lose altitude. The airplane collided with the ground hard on the main landing gear. The left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated that the winds were shifting and that he might have encountered a downdraft. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1998_SEA98LA119.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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