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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1997 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ocean City, Maryland · Ocean City Municipal · 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 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 NYC97LA110.