- Date
- November 11, 1988, 16:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Towson, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N63762Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881111050529A
- Case key
- 11450
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
About 6 min after takeoff, after leveling at 3500 ft, the plt rprtd he was having a probelm that he was unable to figure out. A few minutes later, he repeated the same problem & elected to divert to a nearby arpt. Witnesses rprtd the acft reversed course svrl times, & at least once, it entered a spin, but recovered. Rprtdly, it then began climbing but entered a 2nd spin & crashed in a residential area, damaging 2 houses. Two witnesses rprtd the left eng had either stopped or was windmilling before the acft crashed. Radar data showed the acft had turned left for a total of 360 degs, with svrl altitude excursions, within a .45 mi radius. No preimpact part failure was found, but the acft was extensively damaged by impact & fire. One of the rgt prop blades was bent aprx 145 deg opposite of the direction of rotation, the other rgt prop blade was relatively straight with compression deformation. Both left prop blades were found at a low pitch setting with one blade bent aft aprx 60 deg & the other blade bent forward about 15 deg.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63762
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7754080
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sheldon D. Fineman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1988
- Departed
- BWI · Baltimore, MD
- Destination
- PNE · Philadelphia, PA
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,400 total · 1,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.