# NTSB NYC98LA029: Beech E33A, N7027N, Westminster, MD, November 19, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 19, 1997, 13:55 local (18:55 UTC) - Place: Westminster, MD - Coordinates: 39.570522, -76.999122 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5705&lon=-76.9991&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report December 31, 1998 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 39502 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC98LA029 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/39502/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA029 ## Probable cause the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, his misjudgment of speed and distance while on final approach to land, and his delay in aborting the landing after failing to attain a proper touchdown point for landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, landing - aborted - weather condition - tailwind (contributing factor) - in-flight planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - distance/speed - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - proper touchdown point - not attained, pilot in command (cause) - aborted landing - delayed, pilot in command (cause) - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot flew his airplane on a 30 minute flight from one airport to another. A witness observed the airplane touch down 'fast' about mid-field, on the 1,845 foot long runway. The engine was heard to power up when the airplane was about 200 feet from the departure end of the runway. The airplane then struck trees about 450 feet beyond the end of the runway. Winds at the airport were estimated to be from the northwest at 10 gusting 20 knots. The terrain at the departure end of the runway sloped down, and the tree tops were at the runway elevation. The pilot did not recall the accident; however, when asked why he landed downwind on runway 13, he stated, 'It's normal to land uphill.' ## Factual narrative On November 19, 1997, at 1355 eastern standard time, a Beech E33A, N7027N, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees during an aborted landing at the Clearview Airpark, Westminister, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Hagerstown, Maryland, about 1330. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to a witness, the airplane touchdown "pretty fast" on runway 18, about mid-field. The witness also stated: "...He was landing downwind with about 8 to 10 knots of wind...He touched down fast enough to smoke the tires when he applied the brakes. Then he added power to initiate a go-around about 200 feet from the end of the runway as the black marks substantiate. The airplane disappeared behind the hill..." The witness also stated that his wife landed an airplane about 20 minutes after the accident, and she estimated the winds were 10 knots, gusting to 20. During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, the pilot was asked why he landed on runway 13, when the wind favored runway 31, to which the pilot responded, "It's normal to land uphill." In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that he did not have any recollection of the accident. According to the FAA Inspector, the terrain beyond the departure end of runway 13 sloped down. The tops of trees, about 450 feet from the departure end of the runway, were just above the runway elevation. The airplane struck the tops of the trees and then impacted the ground. The FAA Inspector observed about 250 feet of tire rubber marks on the runway beyond the point where the airplane touched down. The asphalt runway was 1,845 feet long and 30 feet wide. The Inspector's examination of the airplane revealed continuity from the pilot's flight controls to the airplane's control surfaces. The winds at an airport 8 miles north of Clearview were reported to be from 280 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 20. The winds at Baltimore, Maryland, 24 miles southeast of Clearview, were reported to be from 280 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 17. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7027N](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7027N-1998-07-21), registration cancelled 1998-07-21, S/N CE186 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech E33A - Registry model: [Beech E33A](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-e33a) (registry code 1151424) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: CE186 - Airframe hours: 6000 - Engines: Continental IO-520 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Jerome Lamprecht - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 17, 1997, 1 hours before - Departed: HGR, HAGARSTOWN, MD - Destination: 2W2 - Airport: 2W2, Clearview, runway 13, 1,845 × 30 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 8,000 total, 5,000 in this make and model, 8,000 as pilot in command, 20 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 280° at 10 knots, gusting 17 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 39 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: BWI, 24 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19971119047679A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971119047679A), Nov 19, 1997: Beech E33A, Westminster, MD, Destroyed. (-16) The pilot stated that he landed with a tail wind. A witness stated that the airplane touched down mid-field on an 1,845 feet long runway. The pilot… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.