- Date
- June 9, 1989, 14:32 local (18:32 UTC)
- Place
- Myersville, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1499XPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890609014969A
- Case key
- 11460
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
Continued flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and his inability to maintain control of the aircraft after becoming spatially disoriented. Contributing factors were hilly/mountainous terrain, weather conditions, the pilot's lack of instrument experience, and his impairment from a prescription drug that was not approved for use while flying.
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 a wx briefing before takeoff, the non-instrument rated plt was adzd that VFR flt was not rcmdd. While en route on a VFR flt, the acft crashed in an area where ridge tops were obscd by clouds. A witness, who heard the acft, rprtd that it sounded like it entered a steep descent before it crashed. An exam of the crash site verified the acft had impacted in a steep descent. No preimpact part failure/malfunction of the acft was found. Toxicology checks of the plt's liver tissue were positive for nordiazepam (at or above 0.148 mg/l) & maprotiline at or above 8.6 mg/kg). Nordiazepam is a tranquilizer & maprotiline is used to treat depression. The plt's family rprtd that centrax (prazepam) & ludiomil (maprotilene hydrochloride) had been prescribed to the plt for control of depression.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1499X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7540168
- Airframe hours
- 3,793
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- M & H Aircraft Corporation Inc
- Registered owner
- M & H Aircraft Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 29, 1988 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- HGR · Hagerstown, MD
- Destination
- FDK · Frederick, MD
- Airport
- HGR
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 166 total · 109 in this make and model · 62 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRB, 10 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.