BFO90FA064

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-28-200 · Baltimore, MD · July 19, 1990

Accident · Serious injuriesField investigationFinal report
Date
July 19, 1990, 17:23 local (21:23 UTC)
Place
Baltimore, MD
Injuries
2 serious, 2 minor
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N32975Piper PA-28-200
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report August 6, 1993
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19900719027499A
Case key
11552

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. Contributing was the loss of power 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.

Airframe/component/system failure/malfunctionCruise
Electrical system - undetermined
Annunciator panel light(s) - failure,partial
Loss of engine powerApproach
Reason for occurrence undeterminedCause
Loss of control - in flightManeuvering
Airspeed - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Stall - inadvertentPilot in commandCause

Analysis

The flight was inbound to mtn when electrical power occurred and communication with ATC was lost. The pilot proceeded to mtn, entered the traffic pattern, to land on runway 14. According to the pilot, the engine lost power while he was on base leg and the airplane crashed less than a mile from the runway. A pax said the pilot turned left to avoid another just before the engine lost power. He said during the turn the airplane shaked. ATC personnel at mtn said they first noticed the airplane when it was on base leg, but another airplane had been cleared to land, whose pilot was then instructed to break off the approach. ATC then saw the accident airplane go through the final approach course, turn left, and descend to the ground. The examination of the airplane revealed the alternator belt failed, although it was not determined if the failure occurred pre or post impact. The alternator was damaged and was not tested. The alternator warning circuitry for the annunciator panel was found defective, which disabled the warning. Mechanical examination of the airframe and engine did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.

Aircraft

Registration
N32975
Reported as
Piper PA-28-200
Category
Airplane
Serial number
7535102
Airframe hours
1,956
Engine
Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Ronald Marien
Registered owner
Ronald Marien
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · May 11, 1990 · 33 hours before
Departed
GDM · Gardner, MA
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
MTN · Martin State, runway 14, 6,996 × 180 ft, concrete

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
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Unknown, Unknown
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,078 total · 1,022 in this make and model · 1,004 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
120° at 8 knots
Visibility
3 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
88 °F, dew point 68 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
MTN, 1 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.