- Date
- June 16, 1986, 20:40 local (Jun 17, 1986, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Michellville, MD
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5444WPiper PA-28-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11210
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After circling around the airport, trying to raise somebody on UNICOM to find out wind conditions at the field, the pilot noted the lighted windsock indicator and elected to land to the north. The aircraft was observed to land long on the 2420 foot runway, touching down past the midway point, and then the engine sounds increased. It was next observed to cross over a highway off the north end of the runway and collide with the top branches of a tree before nosing down into a field. The pilot stated that he missed all signs of a downwind landing until too late.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5444W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-521
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul B. Essex
- Registered owner
- Paul B Essex
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CGS · College Park, MD
- Airport
- WOO · Freeway, runway 36, 2,420 × 30 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 179 total · 38 in this make and model · 128 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 210° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI, 15 nm away