Event NYC98LA029

Factual narrative

On November 19, 1997, at 1355 eastern standard time, a Beech E33A, N7027N, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees during an aborted landing at the Clearview Airpark, Westminister, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Hagerstown, Maryland, about 1330. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to a witness, the airplane touchdown "pretty fast" on runway 18, about mid-field. The witness also stated: "...He was landing downwind with about 8 to 10 knots of wind...He touched down fast enough to smoke the tires when he applied the brakes. Then he added power to initiate a go-around about 200 feet from the end of the runway as the black marks substantiate. The airplane disappeared behind the hill..." The witness also stated that his wife landed an airplane about 20 minutes after the accident, and she estimated the winds were 10 knots, gusting to 20. During an interview with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, the pilot was asked why he landed on runway 13, when the wind favored runway 31, to which the pilot responded, "It's normal to land uphill." In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that he did not have any recollection of the accident. According to the FAA Inspector, the terrain beyond the departure end of runway 13 sloped down. The tops of trees, about 450 feet from the departure end of the runway, were just above the runway elevation. The airplane struck the tops of the trees and then impacted the ground. The FAA Inspector observed about 250 feet of tire rubber marks on the runway beyond the point where the airplane touched down. The asphalt runway was 1,845 feet long and 30 feet wide. The Inspector's examination of the airplane revealed continuity from the pilot's flight controls to the airplane's control surfaces. The winds at an airport 8 miles north of Clearview were reported to be from 280 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 20. The winds at Baltimore, Maryland, 24 miles southeast of Clearview, were reported to be from 280 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 17. The pilot flew his airplane on a 30 minute flight from one airport to another. A witness observed the airplane touch down 'fast' about mid-field, on the 1,845 foot long runway. The engine was heard to power up when the airplane was about 200 feet from the departure end of the runway. The airplane then struck trees about 450 feet beyond the end of the runway. Winds at the airport were estimated to be from the northwest at 10 gusting 20 knots. The terrain at the departure end of the runway sloped down, and the tree tops were at the runway elevation. The pilot did not recall the accident; however, when asked why he landed downwind on runway 13, he stated, 'It's normal to land uphill.' Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12