Three men sustained fatal injuries Saturday night in an aircraft accident involving a Piper PA-28-181 Archer II near Bowie, Maryland.
The aircraft was a 1976 Piper PA-28-181. According to Maryland State Police, the Piper departed Ocean City Municipal Airport in New Jersey and was en route to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Police said the aircraft was believed to be associated with a Montgomery County flight school and may have been operating on a training flight. FAA records identified the owner as Washington International Flight Academy LLC.
Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications received an iPhone crash alert at about 11:53 p.m., police said. Local and state agencies began an air and ground search and located the wreckage at about 3:45 a.m. Sunday in a wooded area, and the accident site was found near a townhome community and a playground. No ground injuries were reported.
The aircraft was destroyed and the NTSB and FAA are investigating.
With respect, what type of training flight requires three souls on board, especially in a simple single-engine aircraft like the PA-28 and late at night?
Actually quite common to have other students observing. The maneuvers don’t require three people but the observer can learn watching others.