Beech H-18 accident near Westminster, Maryland, November 23, 2003
On November 23, 2003 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Beech H-18, registered N22XL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westminster, Maryland (Carrol County Regional Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were 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 control of the airplane after a failure of one propeller system. Factors in the accident were the failure to perform maintenance inspection and the failure of a bolt in the left propeller blade system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2003 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Westminster, Maryland · Carrol County Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H-18 · all H-18s on the register
- Registration
- N22XL · registry record · serial BA-652
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, about the time of rotation, the airplane yawed right and would not maintain altitude. The airplane cleared one ravine, and the pilot retarded the throttles to abort the takeoff. The airplane touched down in a grass area and came to rest at the bottom of a larger ravine. Examination of the wreckage revealed that a stud, which attached to the pitch change link in one of the left propeller blades, had separated. The last annual inspection of the airplane was performed about 4 years and 5 months prior to the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 340 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 11, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,074 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 1999; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DMW Westminster MD at 2:00 pm
- Destination: MTH Marathon FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 2:02 pm from FDK, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 NYC04LA040.