Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P accident near Leonardtown, Maryland, October 9, 2003
On October 9, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P, registered N9271H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leonardtown, Maryland (Captain Walter Francis Duke Re airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Leonardtown, Maryland · Captain Walter Francis Duke Re · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P
- Registration
- N9271H · registry record · serial 776
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the touchdown, the pilot did not attain a proper pitch attitude for a 3-point landing, and the airplane bounced. The airplane bounced a second time, and the pilot attempted to perform an aborted landing; however, the airplane was not aligned with the runway, and as the pilot added power, the airplane drifted left. The pilot attempted to correct the drift with right rudder, but the airplane struck a fence off the left side of the runway.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,191 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 4,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2W6 Leonardtown MD at 5:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,150 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from NHK, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.