Vans RV12 accident near Stevensville, MD
On April 19, 2016, a Vans RV12 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Stevensville, MD. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 19, 2016
- Place
- Stevensville, MD
- Aircraft
- Vans RV12 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.975°N, 76.322°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160419X41829
Official records · ERA16FA165
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Communications Summary of Flight: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 19, 2016, about 1244 eastern daylight time, a Vans RV-12, N276VA, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during final approach for landing at Bay Bridge Airport (W29), Stevensville, Maryland. The airline transport pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Yoxford Air, LLC, and operated by Chesapeake Sport Pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which originated from Easton/Newnam Field Airport (ESN), Easton, Maryland. The flight departed W29 about 1210 and proceeded to ESN, about 16 nautical miles southeast, where the pilot performed a full-stop landing and subsequent takeoff. The flight then departed the ESN traffic pattern and returned to W29 at an altitude about 1,500 ft. Witnesses at W29 reported that they heard no transmissions from the pilot to the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) as the airplane approached the airport. Flight track data showed the airplane enter the traffic pattern on a left downwind leg for runway 29 and remain at an altitude about 1,000 ft mean sea level then initiate a left descending turn to the base leg. Multiple witnesses located near the airport observed the airplane on final approach and reported that it seemed unusually low about 50 to 75 ft. Several witnesses described the right wing drop before the airplane pitched nose-down and descended to the ground. Another witness reported that the airplane's flight path "seemed normal
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during approach for landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
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Browse: Maryland · Vans 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.
