- Date
- April 23, 1989, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Laurel, MD
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N1789HPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890423009499A
- Case key
- 11497
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
The pilot's failure to obtain adequate airspeed during the attempted short field takeoff for undetermined reasons.
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
The plt stated that the airplane did not accelerate after becoming airborne during the short field takeoff. The takeoff was aborted and the acft traveled into a wooded area off the end of the rwy. After the pilot and three passengers evacuated the acft, a small fire started in the engine area. Unable to put the fire out with hand held extinguishers, the fire destroyed the acft. Inspection of the engine failed to reveal any failures/malfunctions which would have prevented the acft from accelerating properly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1789H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790341
- Airframe hours
- 5,257
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Glenn I. Altman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 13, 1989 · 31 hours before
- Airport
- W18 · Suburban, runway 3, 2,165 × 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
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 258 total · 89 in this make and model · 170 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI, 7 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.