Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
College Park, Maryland 20740
Monday, July 31, 1989 1:08 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PLT & PASSENGERS WERE RETURNING FROM AN EVENING X-COUNTRY FLT WITH THE FLT OPERATING IN IMC, FORECASTED TO CONTAIN RAIN SHOWERS & THUNDERSTORMS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED AFTER AN IN-FLT BREAKUP. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE HORIZONTAL STABILATOR, THEN THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF BOTH WINGS HAD FAILED IN A DOWN & AFT DIRECTION. THE STABILATOR AND PORTIONS OF THE WINGS WERE FOUND ABOUT 1200' FROM THE FUSELAGE. RADAR DATA INDICATED THE ACFT HAD ENTERED AN INCREASING LEFT DESCENDING TURN, FOLLOWED BY A RAPID DESCENT RATE JUST BEFORE GROUND IMPACT. THE ACFT'S GROSS WEIGHT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 3000 LBS. ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFIED GROSS WEIGHT WAS 2900 LBS. A REVIEW OF THE PLT'S LOG INDICATED THAT HE HAD OBTAINED ONE HOUR OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME & ONE INSTRUMENT APPROACH IN THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH RESULTED IN OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE STABILATORS AND WINGS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, HIS LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT ALLOWED BY THE PILOT, DARK NIGHT, AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/31/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 108 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | COLLEGE PARK |
| Event State | MARYLAND |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 20740 |
| 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 | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 53 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 20 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BWI |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 146 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 12 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2000 |
| 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) | 1 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 90 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Heavy |
| 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 | 4 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1899 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 31 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 200 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 41029 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N64MB |
| NTSB Number | BFO89FA065 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28R-201T |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-28R-201 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 28R-7803323 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2900 |
| 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 | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 1 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 84 |
| Airframe Hours | 1433 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ARCHER ASSOC. INC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3970 CHAIN BRIDGE ROAD |
| Aircraft Owner City | FAIRFAX CITY |
| Aircraft Owner State | VA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 22030 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | ARCHER ASSOC. INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 3970 CHAIN BRIDGE RD. |
| Operator City | FAIRFAX CITY |
| Operator State | VA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 22030 |
| 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 | AIY |
| Departure City | ATLANTIC CITY |
| Departure State | NJ |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | W10 |
| Destination City | MANASSAS |
| Destination State | VA |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |