Moravan Zlin 526F accident near Queen Anne, Maryland, July 2, 2001
On July 2, 2001 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Moravan Zlin 526F, registered N526GC, was destroyed in an accident near Queen Anne, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an inadvertent inverted spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2001 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Queen Anne, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Moravan Zlin 526F · all Zlin 526Fs on the register
- Registration
- N526GC · no longer on the register · serial 1185
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger departed on a local aerobatic flight. A few minutes after becoming airborne, the airplane entered a local aerobatic training area. After completing several aerobatic maneuvers, including an immelmann, the pilot attempted a second immelmann. The pilot entered the maneuver, and the airplane climbed about 1,000 feet before completing the course reversal. While the airplane was at the top of the maneuver and inverted, the pilot applied right stick to roll the airplane to the upright position. As the airplane started to roll, the nose began "creeping" right, and then suddenly the airplane entered an inverted spin. The passenger bailed out, but the pilot remained with the airplane until impact. The pilot had approximately 7,000 hours of flight experience, and was actively flying aerobatics. No pre-impact failures or malfunctions were identified with either the engine or the 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,070 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lom M137AZ (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ESN Easton MD at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from BWI, 42 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 NYC01FA158.