Piper PA-24-250 accident near Ocean City, Maryland, December 2, 1982
On December 2, 1982 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5284P, was involved in an accident near Ocean City, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- December 2, 1982 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Ocean City, Maryland
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5284P · no longer on the register · serial 24-323
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND PASSENGER BODIES WERE RECOVERED FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN NEAR OCEAN CITY, MD. BOTH PERSONS HAD DIED OF DROWNING WITHOUT SERIOUS TRAUMATIC INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT RECOVERED. LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WERE REPORTEDIN THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND EVENING. ACCORDING TO A MEDICAL EXAMINER'S ESTIMATE, THE OCCUPANTS HAD BEEN IN THE WATER ABOUT SIX HOURS WHEN THEY WERE FOUND AT 2314 EST. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED FOR INSTRUMENT FLIGHT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,700 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: 11D Shippenville PA at 11:00 am
- Destination: 2W6 Leonardtown MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from SBY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.