20230725021809A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28R-200 · Churchville, MD · July 25, 2023

Date: July 25, 2023 · 19:20 local
Place: Churchville, MD
Airport: Harford County
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N34PT
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA23FA313
Reported as: Piper PA-28R-200
Reported engine: Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor

N34PTRegistered now · Piper PA-28R-200S/N 28R-7535029 · Built 1974 Airframe modelPiper PA-28R-200 Engine modelLycoming I0360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot departed Harford County Airport toward the north. A witness reported that the aircraft engine noise sounded abnormal. The pilot turned back toward the airport at low altitude, lost control of the aircraft in manuvereing flight and crashed short of the airport. Accident was fatal and completely destroyed the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DEPARTED HARFORD COUNTY AIRPORT TOWARD THE NORTH. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE NOISE SOUNDED ABNORMAL. THE PILOT TURNED BACK TOWARD THE AIRPORT AT LOW ALTITUDE, LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT IN MANUVEREING FLIGHT AND CRASHED SHORT OF THE AIRPORT. ACCIDENT WAS FATAL AND COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA23FA313Accident · 1 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportChurchville, MDThe pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and loss of control that the pilot did not recover from.Jul 25, 2023 · Substantial damage