Piper PA-28-140 accident near Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, October 5, 1991
On October 5, 1991 at about 2:22 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N55657, was destroyed in an accident near Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNDETERMINED. THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1991 · about 2:22 am local time
- Place
- Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N55657 · no longer on the register · serial 28-732-5454
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON A THREE LEG STUDENT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. SHE LANDED AT HER FIRST DESTINATION AND HAD HER LOG BOOK SIGNED BY AN EMPLOYEE OF A FIXED-BASE OPERATOR. THE STUDENT DEPARTED ON THE SECOND LEG OF HER TRIP AND CONTACTED DOVER APPROACH CONTROL FOR RADAR ADVISORIES. AFTER A BRIEF RADIO CONVERSATION, RADIO AND RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED. THAT WAS THE LAST KNOWN CONTACT WITH THE PILOT. HER BODY WAS DISCOVERED IN CHESAPEAKE BAY MORE THAN ONE MONTH LATER. THE AIRPLANE HAS NOT BEEN FOUND.
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: student
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 1991; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N92 Summit DE at 7:00 pm
- Destination: ESN Easton MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from DOV, 999 miles away
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.