- Date
- October 21, 1988, 17:53 local (21:53 UTC)
- Place
- Frederick, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8291ZPiper PA-28RT-201
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19881021047679A
- Case key
- 11448
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Nonsubmitted
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
Drg arr, dulles apch ctl (iad) clrd flt to Frederick tvor (fdk) at 4000' & trmtd radar ctl with handoff to baltimore apch ctl (bwi). Flt was clrd for ILS rwy 23 apch & told to rprt ibnd on apch. Proc for apch was to fly obnd on fdk 048 deg radial to ricke int/om, make proc turn (min alt 2300'), rtrn to om on ILS course (hdg 229 deg, min alt 1600') & intercept glide path. However, flt depd fdk on northerly & somewhat erratic course. Bwi did not have positive radar ctc (rcvd only 2 rtrns drg arr & no rtrns blo 3800'). Abeam ricke int/om, acft mnvrd (as if in a proc turn). As it was turning back twd fdk, plt rprtd 'proc turn ibnd, rwy 23' & was clrd to adzy freq (no further rdo ctc with acft). Acft then turned west. After mnvrg abt 8 min, it hit mts abt 7 mi nw of arpt (elev 1700') on hdg twd fdk. Iad had radar ctc &min safe alt warning (msaw) occurred bfr acdnt. Iad ctlr didn't try alerting bwi or plt, but msaw was after plt was clrdto adzy freq. Canceled NOTAM still issued as active, but fdk was plt's home base.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8291Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201 (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8118022
- Airframe hours
- 3,049
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald L. Spring
- Registered owner
- Ronald L Spring
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 6, 1988
- Departed
- SDF · Louisville, KY
- Destination
- FDK · Frederick, MD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FDK · Frederick, runway 23, 5,220 × 100 ft
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 348 total · 348 in this make and model · 280 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRB, 28 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.