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BFO85LA021

1985-03-03 · MARTINSBURG, West Virginia, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MRB

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PLT TOOK OFF ON RWY 35 & DEPARTED THE ARPT WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TOWER. APRX 30 MIN LATER, HE RETURNED & MADE SVRL MISSED APCHS, STILL WITHOUT CONTACTING THE TOWER. TOWER PSNL TRIED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE PLT & USED LIGHT SIGNALS WHILE DIRECTING OTHER TRAFFIC. THE PLT STATED (LATER) THAT HE SAW A C-130 ACFT ON THE TAXIWAY AS WELL AS SVRL OTHER LIGHT CIVIL ACFT IN THE AREA. HE THEN STATED THAT HE BECAME DISORIENTED & LOST CONTROL. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ACFT ENTERED A STEEP CIRCLING MANEUVER WHICH TERMINATED WHEN THE LEFT WING HIT THE GROUND & THE ACFT FINALLY CAME TO REST BETWEEN RWY 8/26 & THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY. THE 75 YR OLD PLT HAD NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN THE CESSNA 150, HAD NOT FLOWN IN THE PREVIOUS 90 DAYS & HAD NEVER RECEIVED A BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1985_BFO85LA021.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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