Piper PA-28RT-201 accident near Rohrersville, Maryland, August 11, 2001
On August 11, 2001 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registered N2869F, was destroyed in an accident near Rohrersville, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into obscured, mountanous terrain. Factors included the rising terrain and weather obscuration.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2001 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Rohrersville, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201 · all PA-28RT-201s on the register
- Registration
- N2869F · registry record · serial 28R-7918184
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was observed flying in and out of the clouds when it impacted a mountain, at an elevation of 1,355 feet. The peak of the ridgeline was 1,800 feet msl, 3/4 mile east of the accident site. Weather at the time of the accident included mist and fog, and the peak of the mountain was obscured by low cloud ceilings. At the time of the accident, an AIRMET had been issued for IFR conditions and mountain obscuration. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing or file a flight plan on the day of the accident. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical deficiencies.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,008.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 18, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ZZV Zanesville OH at 9:00 pm
- Destination: ANP Annapolis MD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 3.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:20 pm from FDK, 10 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.