Engine Problem Led to Fort Meade Plane Crash: Investigators

Despite pilot efforts to regain RPMs, a partial loss of engine power led a Grumman American AA-1 to crash shortly after takeoff from Tipton Airport at Fort Meade last month.

Jeffry P. Barnett, 57, of Glen Burnie, who was piloting the plane, and Thomas L. Cline, 82, of Silver Spring, were both injured in the Feb. 8 crash. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground, according to the Maryland State Police.

The Capital Gazette reports a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane had a normal takeoff but about the point the plane climbed to 250 feet above ground level there was a partial loss of engine power. While Barnett tried to restore power, the engine didn’t respond and the plane hit treetops near the runway, according to the NTSB report.

The crash occurred a few hundred yards from the airstrip.

Barnett, a flight instructor, told investigators he was performing touch-and-go landings the day of the accident to check that repairs had fixed an engine problem.

The federal agency’s full report on the crash isn’t expected for months.

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Two Injured in Fort Meade Plane Crash