It’s been just over a year since pilot Mitchell Knaus was killed in a banner plane crash in Hollywood, and now friends are honoring his legacy.
On Friday, best friend Daniel Healey spoke exclusively to NBC6 as he navigates the pain of losing his buddy while seeking answers.
"The way he went out was the way he lived and he was a hero," said Healey, who served in the Army with Knaus and was one of his closest friends.
May 17, 2023 was the final flight for the 28-year-old pilot. Something went wrong in the air, and as Knaus steered the banner plane away from a busy, populated area of Hollywood, the plane crashed and burst into flames on North Park Road near a Target parking lot.
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“Mitch was such a good dude. Everyone he ever met had only good things to say about him. The fact that he took other lives into consideration over his own is not surprising at all. The way he served in the military and the way he acted as a friend was just top notch. Top tier,” said Healey.
The loss has also left a void in the life of Mitch’s mother, Krista Knaus, who is a retired Air Force broadcast journalist.
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“He was just a good man. He was a good friend. He was a good son to his mom. Him and his mom were very close," said Healey.
To commemorate the anniversary of her son’s death, Knaus’ family and friends held a memorial at the exact spot where he lost his life and filled the divots in the road with his ashes.
"It’s been tough on all of us. Both the friends and family have had a rough go at it trying to rebuild our lives without Mitch in the picture and it’s difficult because he played such a pivotal role in all of our lives. It’s been hard," said Healey.
According to the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board, Knaus had left North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines around 12:25 p.m. to fly a banner for around an hour and a half along the beach in Fort Lauderdale.
He was in a Piper PA-25-236 owned by Aerial Banners, Inc.
He had begun climbing and was around 600 feet in the air when the tower controller asked him if he was ok, because the plane was not climbing.
"Banner Zero Alpha Bravo, everything okay? You’re descending rapidly," the tower controller asked.
"I'm trying to uh…keep climbing," Knaus replied, according to the report.
A few minutes later, Knaus transmitted that he was not okay, saying “I might have to drop this banner. I'm not climbing."
The report said video showed the final seconds of the flight, with the plane in level flight at a low altitude, "near rooftop height."
"At the moment the banner was released, the airplane rolled and yawed right, before the wings leveled and it descended vertically in a nose-up attitude briefly," the report said. "The airplane then rolled left and entered a steep, nose-down, left spiraling descent out of the camera’s view."
According to the NTSB report, Knaus had 324 total hours of flight experience, with about 15 of those hours on a plane like the one he crashed in.
The report noted the plane's cockpit and instrument panel were "consumed by fire," but said the engine examination "revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operation."
A second Aerial Banners plane crashed just a few days after Knaus died. The pilot of that plane survived but was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Healey said Knaus' mother is still trying to understand what went wrong in her son’s case and wants more answers from the banner plane company.
“He was a hero. He saved lives and Mitchell’s mom is going to do everything in her power to get justice. His mom is a fighter. She’s a warrior. She’s seeking justice for this matter," said Healey.
NBC6 has reached out to Aerial Banners, Inc. since the crash initially happened. On Friday, they provided a statement.
“We are continuing to cooperate with the NTSB which is investigating the accident. We do not know of any mechanical issues with the aircraft, and we believe, at this time, that the cause of the accident to be pilot error. Please direct any further questions to the NTSB," the statement read.
