Piper PA-28R-201T accident near College Park, Maryland, July 31, 1989
On July 31, 1989 at about 5:08 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, registered N64MB, was destroyed in an accident near College Park, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH RESULTED IN OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE STABILATORS AND WINGS. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, HIS LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, EXCESSIVE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT ALLOWED BY THE PILOT, DARK NIGHT, AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1989 · about 5:08 am local time
- Place
- College Park, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201T PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N64MB · registry record · serial 28R-7803323
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PASSENGERS WERE RETURNING FROM AN EVENING X-COUNTRY FLT WITH THE FLT OPERATING IN IMC, FORECASTED TO CONTAIN RAIN SHOWERS & THUNDERSTORMS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED AFTER AN IN-FLT BREAKUP. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE HORIZONTAL STABILATOR, THEN THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF BOTH WINGS HAD FAILED IN A DOWN & AFT DIRECTION. THE STABILATOR AND PORTIONS OF THE WINGS WERE FOUND ABOUT 1200' FROM THE FUSELAGE. RADAR DATA INDICATED THE ACFT HAD ENTERED AN INCREASING LEFT DESCENDING TURN, FOLLOWED BY A RAPID DESCENT RATE JUST BEFORE GROUND IMPACT. THE ACFT'S GROSS WEIGHT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 3000 LBS. ITS MAXIMUM CERTIFIED GROSS WEIGHT WAS 2900 LBS. A REVIEW OF THE PLT'S LOG INDICATED THAT HE HAD OBTAINED ONE HOUR OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT TIME & ONE INSTRUMENT APPROACH IN THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 274 hours in all; 137 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 192 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,433 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1989; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TIO-360-FB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Archer Assoc. INC
The flight
- Departed from: AIY Atlantic City NJ at 4:01 am
- Destination: W10 Manassas VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from BWI, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 BFO89FA065.