On May 29, 1986, a Bellanca 7KCAB (registration N12AP) was involved in an aviation accident near Berlin, MD. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's technique for picking up banners caused the aircraft to come very close to a stall. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A Bellanca 7KCAB suffered landing gear separation and wing strike after a hard landing in the runway overrun. The pilot had dropped an advertising banner due to excessive yaw. An FAA reexamination found the pilot's banner pickup technique brought the aircraft near a stall.
Incident
While climbing out after picking up an advertising banner, the pilot of a Bellanca 7KCAB noticed excessive yaw to the right. After confirming the engine was at full power, the pilot elected to drop the banner and make a precautionary landing in the overrun area of the runway. On touchdown, the aircraft hit hard, causing the right landing gear to depart the aircraft. Subsequently, the right wing struck the ground.
Findings
In a reexamination conducted by an FAA operations inspector, it was found that the pilot had been using a technique for picking up banners that caused the aircraft to come very close to a stall.
Probable cause
The pilot's technique for picking up banners caused the aircraft to come very close to a stall.