Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Myersville, Maryland 21773
Friday, June 9, 1989 14:32 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DRG A WX BRIEFING BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ADZD THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RCMDD. WHILE EN ROUTE ON A VFR FLT, THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN AREA WHERE RIDGE TOPS WERE OBSCD BY CLOUDS. A WITNESS, WHO HEARD THE ACFT, RPRTD THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE IT ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT BEFORE IT CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE VERIFIED THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS OF THE PLT'S LIVER TISSUE WERE POSITIVE FOR NORDIAZEPAM (AT OR ABOVE 0.148 MG/L) & MAPROTILINE AT OR ABOVE 8.6 MG/KG). NORDIAZEPAM IS A TRANQUILIZER & MAPROTILINE IS USED TO TREAT DEPRESSION. THE PLT'S FAMILY RPRTD THAT CENTRAX (PRAZEPAM) & LUDIOMIL (MAPROTILENE HYDROCHLORIDE) HAD BEEN PRESCRIBED TO THE PLT FOR CONTROL OF DEPRESSION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
CONTINUED FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS INABILITY TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE HILLY/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, AND HIS IMPAIRMENT FROM A PRESCRIPTION DRUG THAT WAS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE FLYING.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/9/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1432 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | MYERSVILLE |
| Event State | MARYLAND |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 21773 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | HGR |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1445 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 300 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MRB |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 704 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 21 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 120 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| 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) | 1044 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 9 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1440 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 39250 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:45PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1499X |
| NTSB Number | BFO89FA043 |
| 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 | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32-300 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32-7540168 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3400 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 29 1988 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 33 |
| Airframe Hours | 3793 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | M & H AIRCRAFT CORPORATION |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | RT 2 KEMPS MILL ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILLIAMSPORT |
| Aircraft Owner State | MD |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 21795 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | M & H AIRCRAFT CORPORATION INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | RT 2 KEMPS MILL ROAD |
| Operator City | WILLIAMSPORT |
| Operator State | MD |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 21795 |
| 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 | No |
| Departure Airport Code | HGR |
| Departure City | HAGERSTOWN |
| Departure State | MD |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1404 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | FDK |
| Destination City | FREDERICK |
| Destination State | MD |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |