Piper PA-28-140 N4537R

Summary

On 17 May 1998 at about 18:16 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N4537R was involved in an accident near Fort Washington, Maryland, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 May 1998 at 18:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Washington, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Potomac Airfield (VKX)

Coordinates

38.7294, -76.9990

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N4537R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Annapolis

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD98FA059

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall and collision with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot rated passenger (PRP) seated in the left front seat, stated that the purpose of the flight was to familiarize him with instrument flight rules operations. The PRP stated that they back taxied as runway 6 was short and there were trees at the departure end of the runway. The PRP said they did not use any flaps for takeoff. The climb airspeed was 70 miles per hour and the instructor took over the controls and performed, '...what I thought was a maximum climb takeoff... .' He also said that he felt the airplane sink after they were over the trees. The passenger said that the right wing clipped a tree and propelled the plane into a downward spiral. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not disclose any structural or mechanical anomalies. Toxicological tests of the instructor revealed 0.004 ug/ml Tetrahydrocannabinol Carboxylic Acid (Marihuana) detected in the Lung Fluid, and 0.046 ug/ml Tetrahydrocannabinol Carboxylic Acid (Marihuana) detected in the Urine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.