Piper PA-23-250 accident near Towson, Maryland, November 11, 1988
On November 11, 1988 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N63762, was destroyed in an accident near Towson, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- November 11, 1988 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Towson, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N63762 · no longer on the register · serial 27-7754080
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT 6 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF, AFTER LEVELING AT 3500 FT, THE PLT RPRTD HE WAS HAVING A PROBELM THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO FIGURE OUT. A FEW MINUTES LATER, HE REPEATED THE SAME PROBLEM & ELECTED TO DIVERT TO A NEARBY ARPT. WITNESSES RPRTD THE ACFT REVERSED COURSE SVRL TIMES, & AT LEAST ONCE, IT ENTERED A SPIN, BUT RECOVERED. RPRTDLY, IT THEN BEGAN CLIMBING BUT ENTERED A 2ND SPIN & CRASHED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, DAMAGING 2 HOUSES. TWO WITNESSES RPRTD THE LEFT ENG HAD EITHER STOPPED OR WAS WINDMILLING BEFORE THE ACFT CRASHED. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT HAD TURNED LEFT FOR A TOTAL OF 360 DEGS, WITH SVRL ALTITUDE EXCURSIONS, WITHIN A .45 MI RADIUS. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS FOUND, BUT THE ACFT WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY IMPACT & FIRE. ONE OF THE RGT PROP BLADES WAS BENT APRX 145 DEG OPPOSITE OF THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION, THE OTHER RGT PROP BLADE WAS RELATIVELY STRAIGHT WITH COMPRESSION DEFORMATION. BOTH LEFT PROP BLADES WERE FOUND AT A LOW PITCH SETTING WITH ONE BLADE BENT AFT APRX 60 DEG & THE OTHER BLADE BENT FORWARD ABOUT 15 DEG.
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
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BWI Baltimore MD at 9:20 pm
- Destination: PNE Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from BWI
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.