Classic Aircraft Corp. YMF-5 accident near Ocean City, Maryland, August 24, 1997
On August 24, 1997 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Classic Aircraft Corp. YMF-5, registered N68SH, was destroyed in an accident near Ocean City, Maryland. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot performed an aerobatic maneuver at a low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1997 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Ocean City, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Classic Aircraft Corp. YMF-5
- Registration
- N68SH · no longer on the register · serial 553043
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot with two passengers departed the airport and flew the standard departure pattern for a sightseeing flight of the beach area. Once at the shoreline, the airplane turned left and flew northbound. The airplane caught one witness's attention because it was doing 'climbing turns and descents' as it transited along the coast line. Thinking the pilot was warming up for aerobatics, the witness continued to watch. About 1/4 mile north of his position, the airplane continued to climb and descended about 200-300 feet without any change in the engine RPM. Thinking that the pilot was about to do a loop, the witness watched as the nose raised up, but instead of continuing over and completing the loop, the airplane went vertical. At the top of the climb, the airplane entered a spin to the right. It completed three complete turns and the revolutions stopped just prior to impacting the water in approximately 45 degrees nose down attitude. No mechanical malfunctions were found either with the engine or airframe.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,418 hours in all; 683 in this make and model; 4,231 as pilot in command; 649 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,598 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1997; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs 755B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N80 Ocean City MD at 6:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from SBY, 20 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.