Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Libertytown, Maryland 21811
Sunday, July 16, 1989 13:43 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. WHILE EN ROUTE AT 9500 FT, THE PLT RPRTD HE HAD ENCOUNTERED HVY RAIN & HE REQUESTED VECTORS AROUND THE STORM. THE ATC CONTROLLER (CTLR) REPLIED THAT HE COULD NOT PROVIDE WX INFO DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS OF THE ATC RADAR. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLT RPRTD '(WE'RE) IN TROUBLE. WE'RE COMING THROUGH SOME VERY HEAVY THUNDER.' THE CTLR SUGGESTED THE PLT TURN RIGHT TO 180 DEG TO REVERSE COURSE. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WAS 'TURNING RIGHT 180 . . .' THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, AN IN-FLT BREAKUP OF THE ACFT OCCURRED & WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER AN AREA OF ABOUT 1 MILE. WITNESSES NEAR THE ACDNT SITE RPRTD THAT THEY HEARD AN ACFT FLYING IN WX THEY DESCRIBED AS HVY RAIN, STRONG WINDS & LOW CLOUDS. ALSO, WITNESSES RPRTD THAT THE SOUND OF THE ENG WAS 'OSCILLATING' BEFORE THE PLANE CRASHED. NO PRE-ACDNT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. ABT 11 WEST, THE SALISBURY WX WAS IN PART: 500' BKN, 1000' OVC, VIS 1/2 MI WITH RAIN & FOG.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), WHICH RESULTED IN THE PILOT'S LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO DISORIENTATION, AND OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE WINGS AND STABILATOR DUE TO THE PILOT EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/16/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1343 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | LIBERTYTOWN |
| Event State | MARYLAND |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 21811 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| 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 | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1340 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 290 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SBY |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 52 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| 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) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 60 |
| 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) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Moderate |
| 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 | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2165 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 16 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1500 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 41843 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:50PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N83HA |
| NTSB Number | BFO89FA058 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| 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 | 32-7240085 |
| 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 | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 10 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 46 |
| Airframe Hours | 3745 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CHEROKEE AVIATION, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 511 GROVE ST. SUITE 208 |
| Aircraft Owner City | MIDDLEBORO |
| Aircraft Owner State | MA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 02346 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | POWELL AVIATION INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | RIFA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| 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 | ORF |
| Departure City | NORFOLK |
| Departure State | VA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | TEB |
| Destination City | TETERBORO |
| Destination State | NJ |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |