Dassault/Sud FAN JET FALCON SER D accident near Mount Airy, Maryland, April 15, 2025
On April 15, 2025 at about 12:00 pm local time, a 1970 Dassault/Sud FAN JET FALCON SER D, registered N229CK, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Mount Airy, Maryland. It was a positioning 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 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 2025 · about 12:00 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Mount Airy, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault/Sud FAN JET FALCON SER D NO SERIES, built 1970
- Registration
- N229CK · registry record · serial 229
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On April 15, 2025, about 0800 eastern daylight time, a Dassault/Sud Fan Jet Falcon Series D, N229CK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Mount Airy, Maryland. The airline transport pilot and commercial copilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The operator reported that during the descent toward the destination area, the flightcrew heard a loud “bang,” which was followed by a vibration, and they decided to divert to the nearest suitable airport, Eastern WV Regional Airport/Shepard Field, Martinsburg (MRB), West Virginia. The flightcrew did not declare an emergency and subsequently landed at MRB uneventfully. After exiting the airplane, the flightcrew noted that the right engine cowling was separated and a portion of the cowling was wrapped around the right horizontal stabilizer.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (descent) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,845 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 22, 2024; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 28,660 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Kalitta Charters LLC
The flight
- Departed from: YIP Ypsilanti MI at 11:05 am
- Destination: DOV Dover DE
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 21,000 ft; a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.59 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 am from KBWI, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBWI 151154Z 22004KT 10SM FEW090 SCT110 OVC210 16/12 A2959 RMK AO2 SLP018 70006 T01610122 10167 20144 58006=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N229CK 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
- N229CK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dassault/Sud 45 aircraft on the register
- Willow Run Airport · departed from
- Dover Air Force Base · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,362 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N229CK 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/ERA25LA305.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.