Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Pvt Strip Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Townsend, Delaware 19734
Monday, March 6, 1989 11:30 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ACFT WAS OWNED & PILOTED BY A NON-CERTIFICATED PLT WITH TERMINAL CANCER, WHO WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR AN FAA MED CERT. WORKERS SAW THE ACFT TAKEOFF AT APRX 1030 EST. ABOUT 1 HR LATER, A NEARBY RESIDENT HEARD WHAT SHE BELIEVED WAS AN ENG 'MISSING' & WENT 'OUTSIDE,' BUT DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. SHE WENT BACK 'INSIDE' & HEARD A LOUD NOISE (BELIEVED TO BE THE THE ACFT CRASHING). SHE WENT 'OUTSIDE' AGAIN, BUT STILL DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. SOON THEREAFTER, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED WHERE IT HAD CRASHED BESIDE THE APCH END OF RWY 36 AT THE PLT'S PVT STRIP. THERE WAS EVIDENCE IT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN, WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED DRG IMPACT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. ABOUT 20 MI SE AT DOVER AFB, THE WX WAS IN PART: 500' SCATTERED, 900' BROKEN, VIS 2 MI WITH FOG & RAIN. FREEZING RAIN & SNW BGN FALLING SHORTLY AFTER THE ACDNT. THE PLT'S BROTHER BELIEVED THE ACFT ICED UP. THE OWNER/PLT WAS SUFFERING FM THE END STAGE OF LARYNX CANCER WITH COMPLICATIONS OF ANEMIA & HEMOPTYSIS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/6/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1130 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | TOWNSEND |
| Event State | DELAWARE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 19734 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | PVT STRIP |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 20 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1220 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 155 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | AFB |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 28 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 20 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 900 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 2 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 40 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1632 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 6 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1300 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 40517 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Unknown |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N24236 |
| NTSB Number | BFO89FA020 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 152 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 152 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 80166 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1670 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 1 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 9 |
| Airframe Hours | 3781 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ERVIN S MILLER |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 648 OAK HILL SCHOOL ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | TOWNSEND |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19734 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | ERVIN S. MILLER |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 648 OAK HILL SCHOOL RD. |
| Operator City | TOWNSEND |
| Operator State | DE |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 19734 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 36 |
| Runway Length | 1250 |
| Runway Width | 50 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |