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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2001 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2001
- 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N526GC: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Moravan ZLIN 526 11 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Moravan 45 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lom M137AZ 2 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Easton/Newnam Field · departed from
- 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/NYC01FA158.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.