What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.4)The pilot with two passengers departed the airport and flew the standard departure pattern for a sightseeing flight of the beach area. Once at the shoreline, the airplane turned left and flew northbound. The airplane caught one witness's attention because it was doing 'climbing turns and descents' as it transited along the coast line. Thinking the pilot was warming up for aerobatics, the witness continued to watch. About 1/4 mile north of his position, the airplane continued to climb and descended about 200-300 feet without any change in the engine RPM. Thinking that the pilot was about to do a loop, the witness watched as the nose raised up, but instead of continuing over and completing the loop, the airplane went vertical. At the top of the climb, the airplane entered a spin to the right. It completed three complete turns and the revolutions stopped just prior to impacting the water in approximately 45 degrees nose down attitude. No mechanical malfunctions were found either with the engine or airframe. (.19) on August 24, 1997, approximately 1420 eastern daylight time, a Waco classic, Ymf-5, N68SH, was destroyed when it impacted the Ocean approximate ly 500 yards from the shoreline of Ocean City, Maryland. The certificated airline transport pilot and the two passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to buntings dusting inc., berlin, Maryland, and operated by Ocean aerial ADS, Ocean City, Maryland. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91. The passengers had purchased the 15 minute sightseeing flight and the airplane departed Ocean City municipal airport, approximately 1410. The owner of the company was flying back to the airport to drop off his passengers, when he saw the other airplane reach the inlet on the shoreline, and turn north to fly along the beach. Numerous witnesses on the beach reported watching as the airplane maneuvered off shore. Their accounts have the airplane flying between 500 feet to 1,000 feet above the Ocean. They stated that the airplane did two climbing turns, the first heading north, and the second heading south, with the flight path parallel to the shoreline. On the third climbing turn, heading north again, the airplane initiated the climb, and at the summit of the climb, instead of coming back down and flying southbound as it had before, the airplane entered a tight spiral or spin. The witnesses interviewed stated that prior to impact, the rotation stopped, and the airplane impacted the water in approximately 45 degrees nose down attitude. The wreckage was recovered by members of the state police dive team on August 25, 1997. The preliminary inspection of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies and was released to the owner.
As the FAA filed it
(.4)THE PILOT WITH TWO PASSENGERS DEPARTED THE AIRPORT AND FLEW THE STANDARD DEPARTURE PATTERN FOR A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT OF THE BEACH AREA. ONCE AT THE SHORELINE, THE AIRPLANE TURNED LEFT AND FLEW NORTHBOUND. THE AIRPLANE CAUGHT ONE WITNESS'S ATTENTION BECAUSE IT WAS DOING 'CLIMBING TURNS AND DESCENTS' AS IT TRANSITED ALONG THE COAST LINE. THINKING THE PILOT WAS WARMING UP FOR AEROBATICS, THE WITNESS CONTINUED TO WATCH. ABOUT 1/4 MILE NORTH OF HIS POSITION, THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO CLIMB AND DESCENDED ABOUT 200-300 FEET WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN THE ENGINE RPM. THINKING THAT THE PILOT WAS ABOUT TO DO A LOOP, THE WITNESS WATCHED AS THE NOSE RAISED UP, BUT INSTEAD OF CONTINUING OVER AND COMPLETING THE LOOP, THE AIRPLANE WENT VERTICAL. AT THE TOP OF THE CLIMB, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A SPIN TO THE RIGHT. IT COMPLETED THREE COMPLETE TURNS AND THE REVOLUTIONS STOPPED JUST PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE WATER IN APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND EITHER WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME. (.19) ON AUGUST 24, 1997, APPROXIMATELY 1420 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A WACO CLASSIC, YMF-5, N68SH, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE OCEAN APPROXIMATE LY 500 YARDS FROM THE SHORELINE OF OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. THE CERTIFICATED AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND THE TWO PASSENGERS RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO BUNTINGS DUSTING INC., BERLIN, MARYLAND, AND OPERATED BY OCEAN AERIAL ADS, OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE PASSENGERS HAD PURCHASED THE 15 MINUTE SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT AND THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED OCEAN CITY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, APPROXIMATELY 1410. THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY WAS FLYING BACK TO THE AIRPORT TO DROP OFF HIS PASSENGERS, WHEN HE SAW THE OTHER AIRPLANE REACH THE INLET ON THE SHORELINE, AND TURN NORTH TO FLY ALONG THE BEACH. NUMEROUS WITNESSES ON THE BEACH REPORTED WATCHING AS THE AIRPLANE MANEUVERED OFF SHORE. THEIR ACCOUNTS HAVE THE AIRPLANE FLYING BETWEEN 500 FEET TO 1,000 FEET ABOVE THE OCEAN. THEY STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE DID TWO CLIMBING TURNS, THE FIRST HEADING NORTH, AND THE SECOND HEADING SOUTH, WITH THE FLIGHT PATH PARALLEL TO THE SHORELINE. ON THE THIRD CLIMBING TURN, HEADING NORTH AGAIN, THE AIRPLANE INITIATED THE CLIMB, AND AT THE SUMMIT OF THE CLIMB, INSTEAD OF COMING BACK DOWN AND FLYING SOUTHBOUND AS IT HAD BEFORE, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A TIGHT SPIRAL OR SPIN. THE WITNESSES INTERVIEWED STATED THAT PRIOR TO IMPACT, THE ROTATION STOPPED, AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE WATER IN APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED BY MEMBERS OF THE STATE POLICE DIVE TEAM ON AUGUST 25, 1997. THE PRELIMINARY INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES AND WAS RELEASED TO THE OWNER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.