PA-18/19 Super Cub
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 80; Flight Crew Total 400; Flight Crew Type 110
Time Pressure; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Aircraft
I was flying a PA-18 (Super Cub) towing a banner along the shoreline on an eastbound heading. The altimeter was indicating between 550 and 560 feet.  Weather conditions in the area were complete VFR; no rain; no haze; no thunderstorm; it was clear.  I departed with 66 gallons of Avgas on board.  An hour and fifteen minutes after takeoff the engine experienced complete power loss. At this altitude I decided to release the banner in a safe area where no people could get harmed; add full power [with no success] and head my plane to the sand part of the beach.  This decision was made due to the fact that the public beach ahead was full of people at that time.  As soon as I completed my turn; I saw a guy walking along the beach; this obligated me to further increase my turn in order to protect this person's life; while the plane continued to descend.  Once the plane touched the water and the reef I felt the plane getting stuck on the rocks and it flipped.  It was a totally controlled touchdown.  Once the plane stopped moving I grabbed my seat belt and released it.  I pushed myself out of the plane and headed to the beach walking on my own. As I turned my head back to look at the plane I saw oil in the water and fuel was coming out of the plane's tank.  From this moment and on; the events were related to medical intervention from paramedics.
When the engine failed on the PA-18 while banner towing over a populated seashore the pilot was forced to ditch off the beach on water covered with a reef and rocks.  The aircraft flipped over on touchdown but the pilot was not seriously injured.