Taylorcraft BC accident near Cumberland, Maryland, May 8, 2004
On May 8, 2004 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Taylorcraft BC, registered N26644, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cumberland, Maryland (Mexico Farms 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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall into transmission lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 2004 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cumberland, Maryland · Mexico Farms Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft BC · all BCs on the register
- Registration
- N26644 · registry record · serial 472508
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while flying near his home, the airplane "experienced a downdraft and dropped 600 feet." The airplane "fell" into transmission lines, and became entangled, upside down, about 25 feet above the ground. A photograph of the scene revealed that the right wing was bent upward, about 90 degrees at the wing root, and another 90 degrees to the right, about 2 feet from the initial bend. The accident site was on a mountain slope. The nearest reporting airport, about 40 miles to the southeast, recorded winds of 7 knots about 30 minutes before the accident. An airport about 50 miles to the east recoded winds at 11, gusting to 16 knots about 20 minutes after the accident. An airport about 55 miles to the west recoded winds at 5 knots about 20 minutes after the accident. The fire chief who responded to the scene did not recall any winds.
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; 1,500 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 27, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 1998; 40 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1W3 Cumberland MD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from OKV, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.