Nanchang CJ-6A accident near Ocean City, Maryland, May 30, 1999
On May 30, 1999 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Nanchang CJ-6A, registered N4MF, was involved in an accident near Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean City Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Was the pilot leaving the magneto switch in the on position while hand rotating the propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1999 · about 4:50 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Ocean City, Maryland · Ocean City Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Nanchang CJ-6A · all CJ-6As on the register
- Registration
- N4MF · registry record · serial 2951203
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot completed the 'before starting engines' checklist prior to departure. The flight was delayed, and the pilot became concerned about oil collecting in the lower cylinders of the radial engine, and the potential for internal damage during engine start due to hydraulic lock. He elected to clear the oil from the cylinders by hand-propping the engine. The pilot left the cockpit, and rotated the propeller by hand. The engine started instantly and threw the pilot to the ground with serious injuries. According to the pilot, examination of the cockpit after the accident revealed the magneto switch was still in the 'on' position.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 11,500 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 275 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,330 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 1998; 177 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,086 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: China HUISAI-6 JIA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OXB
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from SBY, 18 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4MF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Nanchang CJ-6 7 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Nanchang 8 aircraft on the register
- Engine: China HUISAI-6 JIA · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ocean City Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,362 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD99LA047.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.