Piper PA-30 N31AB
17 August 1986 · Bowleys Qrtrs, Maryland, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 17 August 1986 at about 22:52 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N31AB, operated by Arthur Benjamin, was involved in an accident near Bowleys Qrtrs, Maryland, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 22:52
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bowleys Qrtrs, Maryland, United States
- Nearest airport
- Glenn L. Martin State (MTN)
- Coordinates
- 39.3304, -76.4305
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30
- Registration
- N31AB
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Arthur Benjamin
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Asheville → Baltimore
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO86FA042
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DRG ARR, TRACON GAVE THE PLT THE ARPT WX & PROVIDED VECTORS FOR AN ILS RWY 32 APCH. THE PLT INQUIRED ABOUT A CELL THAT HE UNDERSTOOD WAS OVER THE ARPT & WAS ADVISED TO STANDBY WHILE THE CONTROLLER (CTLR) CHECKED ON IT. THE CTLR CONTACTED TWR PSNL WHO ADZD THE VIS WAS 1 MI IN HVY RAIN, BUT THE PLT WAS GIVEN A FREQ CHG BFR THE INFO WAS PASSED ON TO HIM. HOW-EVER, THE FINAL CTLR ADZD HIM OF THE CELL WHICH WAS OVR THE NDB. THE NDB WAS 1.6 MI FM RWY 32, ALONG THE ILS COURSE. THEPLT ELECTED TO CONT THE APCH & WAS CLRD TO TWR FREQ. AS THE ACFT APCHD THE NDB, RADAR SHOWED IT WAS OFF COURSE. THE TWR CTLR TRIED TO GIVE THE PLT CLIMB-OUT INSTRNS, BUT THE PLT DECLINED THEM & SAID HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE CTLG THE ACFT. THE PLT'S LAST TRANSMISSION WAS TO ACKNOWLEDGE HE WOULD TURN 180 DEG TO ABANDON THE APCH. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT COME OUT OF CLOUDS IN A STEEP DIVE & CRASH ABOUT 1 MI FM THE ARPT IN 10' TO 15' OF WATER BFR RECOVERING. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WERE FND. A WX STUDY SHOWED CLOUD BASES AT 700' & WX ECHOS OF AT LEAST MOD INTENSITY (VIP LVL 2).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-30 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jan 1986 | Piper PA-30 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1986 | Piper PA-30 | Arkansas City, Kansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 1986 | Piper PA-30 | Hope, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 1986 | Piper PA-30 | Coolidge, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 1986 | Piper PA-30 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1986 | Piper PA-30 | Sulpher, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mar 1986 | Cessna 172H | Upper Marlboro, Maryland, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1986 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Camp Springs, Maryland, United States | Andrews Aero Club | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 May 1986 | Bellanca 17-30A | Riverdale, Maryland, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 30 May 1986 | Cessna 150L | Upper Marlboro, Maryland, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 1986 | Beechcraft J-35 | Myersville, Maryland, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 1986 | Piper PA-28-160 | Michellville, Maryland, United States | Paul B. Essex | Serious injuries | - |