Piper PA-38-112 accident near Mount Airy, Maryland, February 8, 1987
On February 8, 1987 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N2459F, was destroyed in an accident near Mount Airy, Maryland. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- February 8, 1987 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Airy, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N2459F · no longer on the register · serial 38-79A0458
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT SIMULATED AN ENGINE OUT EMERGENCY BY RETARDING THE THROTTLE. THE STUDENT, WHO HAD NOT SOLOED, BECAME ENGROSSED IN HANDLING THE EMERGENCY. THE INSTRUCTOR KEPT HIS HAND ON THE THROTTLE THROUGHOUT THE PRACTICE MANEUVER. WHEN HE APPLIED FULL THROTTLE ABRUPTLY, THE STUDENT LOOKED UP TO SEE THE AIRCRAFT HEADING TOWARDS A ROW OF TREES. MOMENTS LATER, THEY IMPACTED THE GROUND, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE AND TREES. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE SLIGHTLY OVER THE AUTHORIZED GROSS WEIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 565 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,649 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 2, 1987; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Frederdick Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: FDK Frederick MD at 12:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from BWI, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.