Cessna 172P accident near Ocean City, MD
On March 16, 2002, a Cessna 172P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ocean City, MD. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 16, 2002
- Place
- Ocean City, MD
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.294°N, 75.101°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020409X00476
Official records · IAD02FA037
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 15, 2002, about 1935 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P, N96811, was destroyed when it impacted the Atlantic Ocean while on approach to Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB), Ocean City, Maryland. Two passengers were fatally injured, and the certificated private pilot/owner and a third passenger were presumed lost at sea. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated at Bay Bridge Airport (W29), Stevensville, Maryland. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to a witness, a certificated airline transport pilot, he was approaching the Ocean City Airport in a twin-engine turbo-prop airplane at the same time as the accident airplane. He became aware of the accident airplane when the accident pilot transmitted on the Ocean City Airport UNICOM frequency. The accident pilot's first radio call was about 10 miles from Ocean City to the north, when he called for a taxicab. The witness answered the radio call, and told the accident pilot that the airport closed at sunset, and that he would have to wait to get on the ground to call for a cab. The accident pilot acknowledged the radio call. When the witness was within 4 miles of the Ocean City beacon, he heard the pilot announce a left downwind for landing on runway 20, then transmit, "Is that right?" The witness watched the accident airplane as it passed abeam the departure end of runway 14, and suddenly transitioned from "horizontal flight to vertical flight." The airplane went out over a "black hole," then disappeared. The
Probable cause
The pilot's spatial disorientation, which resulted in his subsequent loss of control of the airplane. A factor was the dark night, over water visual conditions.
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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.
