Amateur-built SHOESTRING accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, September 10, 1984
On September 10, 1984 at about 4:15 pm local time, a amateur-built SHOESTRING, registered N53J, was destroyed in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1984 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SHOESTRING
- Registration
- N53J · registry record · serial 36
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE POWER LOSS DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO DESCEND NEAR VERTICALLY TO GROUND IMPACT. TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE REVEALED DISCREPANCIES IN THE CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY. THE PLT HAD COMPLAINED OF CARBURETOR FLOAT PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE FLT. THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 365 hours in all; 109 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GIA Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from IAD, 20 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.