Piper PA-30 accident near Baltimore, Maryland, March 17, 2010
On March 17, 2010 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N7925Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Baltimore, Maryland (Martin State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during a touch-and-go landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience in the make and model airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2010 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Baltimore, Maryland · Martin State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7925Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-1015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he accumulated 26 hours of flight time in the accident airplane about 2 years prior to the accident, but had not flown the accident airplane since. About 1 week prior to the accident, the pilot obtained his airplane multiengine rating in a different make and model than the accident airplane. The pilot stated that the purpose of the accident flight was to perform full-stop landings in order to familiarize himself with the airplane. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for the first landing, he was cleared by the air traffic control tower for a "touch-and-go." After the airplane touched down, the pilot applied full power, and intended to retract the wing flaps, but inadvertently retracted the landing gear instead. The landing gear "immediately" collapsed, and the airplane slid to a stop on its underside. Both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures, and that the accident might have been prevented if he had declined the touch-and-go landing, and had taken time to become more familiar with the locations of the landing gear and flap controls. He also stated that he had recently trained in an airplane with a "different layout," and his "sense memory for the controls was wrong."
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Unintentional use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience w/ equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 633 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 538 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 6, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 3,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MTN Baltimore MD at 1:25 pm
- Destination: MTN Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 6,996 ft by 180 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from MTN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.