Plane that crashed in Myrtle Beach surf Monday not first time it went down, records show

Monday’s plane crash into the Myrtle Beach surf was not the first time the aircraft went down, records show.

The same plane crashed in the 1990s.

The owner of the banner plane, Barnstormers Aerial Advertising, has a history of plane accidents according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The plane that crashed July 31 was identified as a Piper PA12 by the FAA. It’s registration number is N3036M.

Current FAA records say that the plane crashed into the water for “unknown reasons.”

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. at 40th Avenue North, according to timestamps on witness’ videos. The pilot was rescued from the water and was transported to the hospital with injuries.

In another crash last year, a Barnstormers pilot of another Piper banner plane died in May 2022 while returning a banner to the Grand Strand Regional Airport.

Three other crashes all involved a failure on the pilot’s part, according to NTSB reports.

About 28 years ago, the same registered plane, N3036M, as the one in Monday’s crash was involved in another accident, according to NTSB reports. The July 26, 1995, crash was caused by the pilot who failed to perform a proper starting procedure. The plane had substantial damage and the pilot was injured, according to NTSB.

In 2002, a pilot with Barnstormers operating a Cessna 172R airplane crashed after failing to maintain airspeed while attempting to pick up a banner for the third time, according to an NTSB report. And in 2012, a pilot with Barnstormers failed to use carburetor heat while attempting to pick up a banner, and collided with a fence, another report says.

Barnstormers has five planes registered in Horry County, according to the FAA. Their registration numbers are:

• 2150A
• 2397M
• 262T
• 3036M
• 8048D
  
  

These planes were all manufactured in the 1940s and ‘50s.

The FAA is investigating Monday’s crash.