Waco YMF accident near Ocean City, Maryland, June 8, 1997
On June 8, 1997 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Waco YMF, registered N34SK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean City Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 and his improper compensation for the wind conditions. Contributing factors were the lack of recent experience in the airplane, and gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1997 · about 6:45 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Ocean City, Maryland · Ocean City Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco YMF · all YMFs on the register
- Registration
- N34SK · registry record · serial F5-034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing takeoffs and landing when the accident occurred. According to the pilot, as the tail was settling from a wheel landing, the airplane encountered a gust of wind, which raised the right wing and the left wing struck the ground. He added power to abort the landing; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, and struck a drainage ditch. The right main landing gear collapsed and both spars on the right wing were broken. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. In the preceding year, the pilot had acquired 3 hours of flight time in make/model.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 30,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 19,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 862 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,770 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-775-B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OXB at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N34SK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Waco YMF 14 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Waco 657 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jacobs R-775-B2 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ocean City Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,357 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC97LA110.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.