Piper PA-23 accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, May 7, 1983
On May 7, 1983 at about 10:33 pm local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N1236P, was destroyed in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were 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
- May 7, 1983 · about 10:33 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · Montgomery County Airpark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N1236P · no longer on the register · serial 23-257
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER/PLT WAS ON A FLT, ACCOMPANIED BY TWO NEPHEWS, AGES 19 & 8 YRS OLD. AN ASSOCIATE OF THE OWNER/PLT REPORTED THAT THE 19 YR OLD NEPHEW, WHO OCCUPIED THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT, WAS A SINGLE ENG PLT, BUT HAD NO MULTI-ENG INSTRUCTION. HOWEVER, NO FAA RECORDS WERE FOUND TO VERIFY THAT THE NEPHEW WAS A PLT. ABOUT 5 MI NORTH OF THE DESTINATION (MONTGOMERY CO ARPT), 2 GROUND WITNESSES, WHO WERE BOTH PLTS, SAW A PIPER APACHE IN LEVEL FLT AT ABOUT 1000 FT AGL WITH THE RIGHT PROP FEATHERED. AFTER THEY TOOK OFF IN THEIR ACFT, THEY TUNED IN THE MONTGOMERY CO ADVISORY FREQ TO DETERMINE IF THERE WERE ANY TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE APACHE. THEY HEARD THE PLT OF AN APACHE REPORT ON DOWNWIND, BUT HEARD NO MENTION OF AN ENG PROBLEM OR AN EMERGENCY. WITNESSES ON THE ARPT & UNDER THE BASE LEG FOR RWY 14 OBSERVED THE APACHE TURN TO FINAL APCH WITH THE RIGHT PROP FEATHERED. THE ACFT THEN ROLLED INTO A RIGHT DESCENDING NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE & CRASHED IN A STEEPDESCENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. DRG MED EXAM ON 8/12/82, THE PLT RPRTD 1200 HRS TOTAL TIME.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2W2 Westminster MD at 10:00 pm
- Destination: GAI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from BWI, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.