Mooney M20E accident near Adamstown, Maryland, April 29, 1992
On April 29, 1992 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N3357X, was destroyed in an accident near Adamstown, 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1992 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Adamstown, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N3357X · no longer on the register · serial 1080
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLIGHT IN THE AREA OF SUGAR LOAF MOUNTAIN, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT AND CRASHED. A WITNESS SAW AN AIRPLANE DIVE TOWARD THE GROUND, BUT IT WENT OUT OF HIS VIEW BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN. HE DID NOT HEAR A CRASH AND ASSUMED THE AIRPLANE HAD RECOVERED FROM THE DIVE. LATER IN THE DAY, THE PILOT'S WIFE REPORTED THE AIRPLANE WAS OVERDUE. ABOUT 24 HOURS LATER, THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN A WOODED AREA ON THE EAST SLOPE OF THE MOUNTAIN. THE AIRPLANE HAD IMPACTED THE EAST SLOPE AT ABOUT A 70 DEG ANGLE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: 1,092 hours in all; 122 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,006 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,535 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 1991; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Adamstown MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from FDK, 15 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.