Cessna 172 SP accident near Stevensville, Maryland, June 25, 2008
On June 25, 2008 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172 SP, registered N3504X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Stevensville, Maryland (Bay Bridge Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's delayed decision to go around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2008 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Stevensville, Maryland · Bay Bridge Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 SP · all 172 SPs on the register
- Registration
- N3504X · no longer on the register · serial 172S8861
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) of the Cessna 172 was demonstrating a simulated engine failure on the downwind leg of a left traffic pattern. He closed the throttle, banked the airplane toward the runway, and trimmed it for "best glide speed with flaps retracted." Approaching the runway environment at an approximately 45-degree angle, the CFI attempted to align the airplane with the runway heading while simultaneously flaring it. He then decided to go around, and added full power; however, the airplane touched down on the south side of the runway, "bounced" towards, then crossed the runway, and exited it on the north side. The airplane then struck in-ground lighting, continued up an embankment, and came to rest in tall grass. The wing spar and firewall were damaged, and no mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane prior to the accident. Winds reported at a station 7 miles to the west, about the time of the accident, were about 60 degrees from the right of the runway, at 10 knots.
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
What happened, in order
- Simulated/training event during approach
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Airport lighting › Not specified
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 583 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 490 as pilot in command; 8 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,213 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W29 Stevensville MD at 8:50 pm
- Destination: W29
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,906 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from NAK, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.