Beech C-45G accident near Elkridge, Maryland, December 10, 1992
On December 10, 1992 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Beech C-45G, registered N7770B, was destroyed in an accident near Elkridge, Maryland (Balt-Wash Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY SECURE THE CARGO, WHICH ALLOWED A SHIFT IN THE CENTER OF GRAVITY DURING A MISSED APPROACH MANEUVER AND RESULTED IN SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL AND FLYING SPEED. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ASSURE THE AIRPLANE WAS LOADED WITHIN ITS PROPER WEIGHT AND BALANCE LIMITATIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 10, 1992 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Elkridge, Maryland · Balt-Wash Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-45G · all C-45Gs on the register
- Registration
- N7770B · registry record · serial AF-320
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SUPERVISED THE LOADING OF THE AIRPLANE. ACCORDING TO INFO FROM A PERSON THAT HELPED LOAD THE PLANE, THE BILL OF LADING, AND ACTUAL WEIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS OF THE CARGO AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PLANE WAS LOADED TO A GROSS WEIGHT OF 11,979 LBS WITH THE CG 2.7 INCHES BEHIND THE AFT LIMIT. AT THE DESTINATION, THE FLIGHT WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS RUNWAY 10 APPROACH. ABOUT 3 MI FROM THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT WAS TOLD TO MAKE A MISSED APPROACH DUE TO INADEQUATE SEPARATION FROM TRAFFIC. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT SOON THEREAFTER, RADAR CONTACT WITH THE PLANE WAS LOST. WITNESSES SAW THE PLANE DESCEND FROM A LOW CLOUD LAYER BEFORE IT CRASHED. ONE WITNESS SAID ITS WINGS WERE MOVING FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND THE PLANE WAS FALLING FASTER THAN IT WAS MOVING FORWARD. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE PLANE HAD IMPACTED IN A FLAT ATTITUDE WITH LITTLE FORWARD MOVEMENT. FOUR CARGO STRAPS WERE FOUND LOOSE WITH NO SIGN OF TENSILE OVERLOAD; 3 OTHERS AND A RESTRAINING BOARD WERE FOUND LOOSE AS IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN USED. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE WIND WAS FROM 090 DEG AT 21 GUSTING 32 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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,658 hours in all; 657 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 1,560 as pilot in command; 927 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,436 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 11,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-1-101 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DAY Dayton OH at 6:19 pm
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 9,452 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 21 knots, gusting 32
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:43 pm from BWI, 4 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.