Meyers OTW-160 accident near Worton, Maryland, August 16, 2012
On August 16, 2012 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Meyers OTW-160, registered N26490, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Worton, Maryland (Private Airstrip airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's improper landing flare and the flight instructor's inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2012 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Worton, Maryland · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Meyers OTW-160 · all OTW-160s on the register
- Registration
- N26490 · registry record · serial 43
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that the student pilot's approach to a turf runway in the vintage biplane was normal; however, the landing flare was high and the touchdown was firm. After touchdown, the right main landing gear upper strut arm separated, which resulted in a collapse of the right main landing gear. Metallurgical examination of the fractured upper strut arm revealed the tube was buckled and bent and had fracture features consistent with overstress and bending of the tube in one direction. No evidence of preexisting cracking or fatigue was noted.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,998 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 2,713 as pilot in command; 38 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 25, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,015 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 8, 2012; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,910 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kinner R56 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MD11 Chestertown MD at 6:20 pm
- Destination: NONE Worton MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,800 ft by 90 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from APG, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laborator Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photograph # 1: Damage to Right Side Fuselage (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photograph # 2: Right Main Landing Gear (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photograph # 3: Right Main Landing Gear Upper Strut Arm (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N26490 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N26490 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Meyers OTW-160 18 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Meyers 68 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Kinner R56 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wright Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,357 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N26490 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12LA518.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.