Cessna R172K accident near Bowie, MD
On October 13, 1998, a Cessna R172K (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bowie, MD. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 13, 1998
- Place
- Bowie, MD
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.989°N, 76.739°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X11268
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 13, 1998, at 0700 eastern daylight time, N736KL, a Cessna R172K, was destroyed when it collided with a residence while attempting to land at the Freeway Airport, Bowie, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger was seriously injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The observation flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at 0600, at Gaithersburg, Maryland. The intended destination was Bowie, Maryland. The pilot was scheduled to fly the early morning traffic watch with a traffic reporter, for about 3 hours, to provide traffic coverage in the Washington/Virginia area. The reporter said: "...We left Montgomery Air Park at approximately 6:00 a.m. on October 13, 1998. I was aware that the weather was foggy, but I do not recall any conversation about not going up. We were airborne for almost an hour and it was apparent that the low fog would prevent me from providing any meaningful traffic news. We were going to land and learned that the airport at College Park, Maryland was fogged in. We approached Freeway in Bowie, Maryland. Doug was apparently going to make a pass to determine the visibility. I recall that there was patchy fog, but I could see the runway although it was partially obscured. We were about 400 feet in the air and he started to power up. I noticed that the wind flaps were down at least 40 percent and I informed Doug of this. The plane stalled and the last thing I heard Doug say was 'Oh no'. The next thing I remember I was on
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Also causal was the pilot's poor in-flight planning/decision, and his continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. A related factor was the fog.
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Browse: Maryland · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
