Piper PA-32-300 accident near Churchton, Maryland, October 23, 1987
On October 23, 1987 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N2816M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Churchton, Maryland (Deep Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1987 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Churchton, Maryland · Deep Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N2816M · registry record · serial 32-7840056
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT AFTER SEARCHING UNSUCCESSFULLY FOR A WIND SOCK & GETTING NO REPLY ON UNICOM FREQ, HE MADE AN APCH TO RWY 16. LATER, HE SAW THE WIND SOCK ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN THE RWY NEAR A BUILDING. DRG THE APCH, HE NOTICED HE WAS HIGH & PUT THE ACFT IN A SLIP TO LOSE ALT. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO LAND ON THE REMAINING RWY & BEGAN A GO-AROUND. HOWEVER, ABOUT 150 TO 200 FT BEYOND THE DEP END OF THE RWY, THE LEFT WING HIT A TREE, THEN THE ACFT YAWED LEFT & CRASHED IN AN UPRIGHT ATTITUDE. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 240 DEG AT 10 KTS.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 580 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,793 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 6, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1N9 Queen City PA at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N2816M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO88LA018.