Piper PA-44-180 N3020M
26 August 2011 · Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 August 2011 at about 11:00 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N3020M, operated by Washington Int'l Flight Academy, LLC, was involved in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 11:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
- Nearest airport
- Montgomery County (GAI)
- Coordinates
- 39.1683, -77.1658
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180
- Registration
- N3020M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Washington Int'l Flight Academy, LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Gaithersburg → Gaithersburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA11CA486
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue taxiing with restricted windshield visibility.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he was taxiing to the active runway for takeoff when the windshield became foggy and he missed the left turn to the runway. The airplane exited the taxiway onto a grassy area, the pilot then turned left, and the airplane slid down a hill. The airplane's right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Dec 2011 | Piper PA-44-180 | Seattle, Washington, United States | Hillsboro Aviation Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Dec 2011 | Piper PA-44-180 | Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States | Airline Transport Professionals Corp of USA | No injuries | - |
| 25 Oct 2011 | Piper PA-44-180 | St. Paul, Oregon, United States | Hillsboro Aviation Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Sep 2011 | Piper PA-44-180 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Bird Acquisition LLC | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2012 | Piper PA-44-180 | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States | University of North Dakota | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2010 | Piper PA-44-180 | Eastman, Georgia, United States | Orlando Flight Academy | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2011 | Temco GC-1B | Ewell, Maryland, United States | Ross Lanson C | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Sep 2011 | Cirrus SR20 | Gaitherburg, Maryland, United States | INN Flying Club Inc | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2011 | Slingsby CAPSTAN TYPE 49B | Hollywood, Maryland, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Apr 2011 | Boeing 737 | Camp Springs, Maryland, United States | United States Air Force | Unknown | - |
| 16 May 2011 | De Havilland DHC8 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Colgan Air Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 2011 | Cessna 172S | Cambridge, Maryland, United States | Brett Aviation | No injuries | - |