Amateur-built PT17 accident near Westminister, Maryland, September 19, 1999
On September 19, 1999 at about 5:06 pm local time, a amateur-built PT17, registered N29743, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westminister, Maryland. It was a personal flight 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 control of the airplane while taxiing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 1999 · about 5:06 pm local time
- Place
- Westminister, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PT17
- Registration
- N29743 · no longer on the register · serial 75-2718
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed on a private grass strip, to the northwest. After landing, the airplane contacted a hole, and the pilot over applied the brakes. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Tire tracks, similar to those of airplane tire skid marks, were found on the grass strip, leading to the point where the airplane came to rest. The grass strip was not approved for airplane use by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); however, the pilot had landed there in the past. The winds reported at an airport 25 miles away were from a heading of 160 at 7 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental R-670 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD at 4:45 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from BWI, 25 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.