Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Berlin, Maryland, October 8, 1999
On October 8, 1999 at about 8:23 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N56094, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berlin, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the number 3-cylinder exhaust valve stem due to fatigue cracking.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1999 · about 8:23 pm local time
- Place
- Berlin, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56094 · registry record · serial 28R7335353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the third flight of the day, the engine started without difficulty and no anomalies observed. The pilot taxied onto the runway, advanced the throttle, and executed a normal takeoff. The airplane climbed to a cruise altitude of approximately 2,000 feet msl. After reaching 2,000 feet, the engine started running rough, and the airplane started to descend. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a road, but struck wires while maneuvering to avoid a construction vehicle. The number 3-cylinder exhaust valve stem was found fractured into two pieces, and evidence of a fatigue crack on the fracture surface was identified. The engine was remanufacture to zero time on October 10, 1979, and then installed on January 10, 1981. At the time of the accident, the engine had approximately 1,325 hours of operation and 20 years since overhaul. A service instruction published by the engine manufacture recommends that the engine be overhauled every 2,000 hours or 12 years which ever comes first.
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: 851 hours in all; 364 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 788 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,635 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 7, 1999; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OXB Ocean City MD at 7:20 pm
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from SBY, 89 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.