- Date
- March 5, 1984, 11:07 local (16:07 UTC)
- Place
- Cumberland, MD
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6629LPiper PA-31
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 30, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840305069739A
- Case key
- 35780
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
Approx 16 min prior to the accident the plt was cleared for the localizer DME approach. The acft collided with the mountainous terrain on a hdg of about 220 degrees at approx 8.5 DME on a bearing of 051 degrees from the arpt. As indicated on the loc/dme rwy 23 approach plate, the minimum altitude between the outer marker, 6.6 DME, and 10 DME was 3000 feet. Elevation at the accident site was 2000 ft; arpt elevation was 776 ft. post crash fire consumed most of the wreckage but the cabin heater was not in the fire area. The pilot's reported carboxy hemoglobin (co) was 20%. Autopsy revealed multiple extreme impact injuries. Products of combustion were found on fresh air side of cabin heater/heat exchanger. Source of combustion products were not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6629L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-565
- Airframe hours
- 7,361
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO540-A2B, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Cumberland Airlines
- Registered owner
- Nicholson Air Service Inc.
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 31, 1984 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- BWI · Baltimore, MD
- Destination
- CBE · Cumberland, MD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CBE · Cumberland, runway 23, 5,050 × 150 ft
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
- 24
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,143 total · 547 in this make and model · 1,844 as pilot in command · 218 in the last 90 days · 61 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CBE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6629L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.