Adverisment- Banner Planes Collide in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH -- A Piper advertisement-banner plane crashed about 9 this morning into the ocean at 23rd Avenue South near the Shoreham Towers II in North Myrtle Beach.

The pilot, the only person aboard the plane, suffered minor injuries, said city spokeswoman Nicole Aiello.

The man, whose name was not released, refused medical treatment at the scene and told police he was going to arrange his own transportation to be taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, Aiello said.

At 10:15 a.m., the plane remained upside down in the water.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, Aiello said. But several witnesses at the scene said the plane may have struck the banner of another plane before the crash.

The beach is closed from 27th Avenue South to 17th Avenue South as Coast Guard officials investigate any fuel spills.

North Myrtle Beach police department, fire department and beach services were on the scene, and Horry County Emergency Medical Services