Cessna 150 accident near Tilghman Island, Maryland, March 17, 1982
On March 17, 1982 at about 12:05 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N10914, was destroyed in an accident near Tilghman Island, Maryland (Cromwell Farm airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1982 · about 12:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tilghman Island, Maryland · Cromwell Farm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N10914 · no longer on the register · serial 15075129
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT/OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS ENDORSED TO FLY THE PLANE AND WOULD FLY IT FROM HIS FARM ON TILGHMAN ISLAND TO EASTON, MD FOR DUAL INSTRUCTION. SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, HE HAD ASKED HIS INSTRUCTOR (IP) TO SCHEDULE SOME TIME FOR AN EARLY MORNING FLIGHT ON 3/17/82. HIS INSTRUCTOR TOLD HIM TO COME "IF THE WEATHER WAS GOOD." THE IP AWOKE EARLY THAT MORNING AND OBSERVED HEAVY FOG AND LOW CEILINGS. HE ASSUMED THE STUDENT WOULD NOT COME AND WENT BACK TO BED. THE PILOT'S MOTHER REPORTED THAT FOG MOVED IN SHORTLY AFTER HE TOOK OFF FROM HIS FARM. CREWMEMBERS OF AN OYSTER BOAT NEAR THE ISLAND HEARD AN AIRCRAFT FLYING LOW OVERHEAD, BUT COULD NOT SEE THE PLANE DUE TO FOG AND A LOW CEILING. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THEY SAW THE PLANE COME OUT OF THE OVERCAST IN A RIGHT BANK, THEN LEVEL JUST BEFORE CRASHING IN THE WATER. THEY REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY UNTIL IT REVVED JUST BEFORE IMPACT. A BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL OF .14% WAS FOUND.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 42 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command; 1 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,121 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Tilghman Island MD at 6:55 am
- Destination: ESN Easton MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.