HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Crews removed the scorched remnants of a banner plane from a Hollywood roadway, as authorities proceed with their investigation into the factors that led to a fatal crash in Hollywood, claiming the life of a pilot.
Shortly after 1 p.m. on Thursday, authorities hauled away the aircraft and reopened South Park Road, spanning from Hollywood Boulevard to Johnson Street.
While lingering questions surround the cause of the tragic crash, 7News learned that the pilot had recently been recruited by Aerial Banners, Inc.
Authorities and the victim’s roommate identified him as 28-year-old Mitchell Knaus.
“[He had] approximately 325 total hours of flight experience were logged by him. He had joined the company a fortnight ago and possessed an estimated 13-15 hours of experience with this particular make and model of aircraft,” revealed Brian Rayner with the National Transportation Safety Board.
According to Aerial Banners, Knaus he had just taken off from North Perry Airport before then plane went down.
The plane, identified as a yellow Piper PA-25 Pawnee, was flying east toward the beach when it inexplicably crashed on a road adjacent to Memorial Regional Hospital, erupting into flames.
7SkyForce was mid-flight Wednesday when the plane began experiencing problems.
In a distress call to air traffic control, Knaus reported encountering difficulties shortly after takeoff and expressed the urgency to release the towed banner.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to drop this banner. I’m not climbing,” he said.
Moments later, the pilot made the decision to release the banner.
“I’m at 400 [feet], I’ve got to drop this over a lake,” he stated.
However, the Knaus was unable to regain control of the aircraft and descended rapidly.
Video footage captured by 7Skyforce showed the plane veering suddenly through the sky before ultimately crashing.
“At first, maybe we thought maybe [it was], like, a car crash, and as we were all going outside, we saw the flames,” said witness Alexa Piazza, who works nearby.
The calls to 911 were immediate.
“[The address is] 3325 Hollywood Boulevard, a plane just crashed,” said a caller.
“So you don’t know if anybody is still in the plane?” a dispatcher said.
“I don’t. It landed, I heard a loud boom, and it immediately engulfed in flames,” said the caller.
Knaus was the only person on board. He had been flying since January.
According to his social media profiles, he was also a photographer and a U.S. Army veteran who grew up in California.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will continue their investigation to determine the sequence of events and contributing factors in this incident.
“We essentially analyze it in three parts: the man, the machine, and the environment,” explained Rayner.
Investigators said it could take up to a year for them to understand how the crash happened.
“I’ve learned that if I just work the process, the answers have a way of revealing themselves,” said Rayner.
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