Cessna 172N accident near Stevensville, Maryland, April 12, 1998
On April 12, 1998 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734MN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stevensville, Maryland (Bay Bridge 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare, improper recover from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1998 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Stevensville, Maryland · Bay Bridge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734MN · registry record · serial 17268961
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported the airplane landed hard on the nose wheel and continued to bounce down the runway. Each bounce increased in severity and magnitude. The pilot lost directional control, and the airplane departed the runway and struck a wind direction indicator to the right of the landing surface. The pilot said he applied right rudder during the landing, but did not recall applying brakes. He reported the airplane had no mechanical deficiencies. An operational check of the airplane's braking system by an FAA Airworthiness Inspector revealed no discrepancies.
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: 250 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 168 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,958 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 1997; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Safety Flight Training
The flight
- Departed from: CJR Culpepper VA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: W29 MD
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 29, 2,910 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from ESN, 15 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number IAD98LA045.