Piper PA-28-161 accident near Easton, Maryland, June 24, 2021
On June 24, 2021 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA-28-161, registered N2143G, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Easton, Maryland (Easton/Newnam Fld airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2021 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Easton, Maryland · Easton/Newnam Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161, built 1978 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N2143G · no longer on the register · serial 28-7916176
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting his first solo flight. After his second takeoff, while turning onto the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern, he heard the engine lose power. At an altitude of 700 ft above ground level, he did not think he could make it back to the airport, so he maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing to a field. During the approach, the airplane stalled and impacted a construction area before reaching the field. A postcrash fire ensued. Flight control cable continuity for the aileron, stabilator, and rudder cables were continuous from the cockpit to the respective control surfaces, except for separations consistent with recovery cuts near the wing roots and the tailcone. The engine cylinders were examined with a borescope and minor scoring was noted. No anomalies were noted with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation; however, due to the extent of the postcrash fire damage, the ignition and fuel systems could not be examined or tested, and the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Unknown or undetermined during approach
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 10 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,649 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 21, 2021; 8,581 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 547 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Trident Aircraft Inc
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 11:13 am from ESN, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KESN 241513Z 10009G14KT 10SM SCT060 24/10 A3040
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on July 6, 2023. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Operator) | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot) | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Flight Instructor Statement | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Witness Statement - Timeline of Events | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.