- Date
- December 30, 1990, 13:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Mitchellville, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6945JPiper PA-32R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11653
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
Pilot failure to maintain altitude clearance above an obstacle after the aircraft encountered a downdraft.
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 reported that because of the wind condition, 15 KTS gust to 20 KTS, he used an apch speed of about 98 to 102 mph, instead of 87 mph which he normally uses. He also used full flaps. During the apch the plt sideslipped the acft to compensate for the x-wind. According to the plt, there was a 15 to 20 ft high dirtbank short of the rwy, and when he flew over it, the acft encountered a downdraft. The plt reported the acft abruptly lost 30 ft of altitude and as he tried to recover, the r main gear struck the dirtbank, separating the gear from the acft. The acft landed on the rwy and slid to a stop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6945J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680391
- Airframe hours
- 3,053
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K165D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91 subpart F
- Registered owner
- Maryland Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 26, 1990 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- ESN · Easton, MD
- Airport
- W00
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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,045 total · 443 in this make and model · 1,842 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 20 knots, gusting 31
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI