BOWIE, MD – A pilot and two passengers are dead after a single-engine training flight crashed into a wooded area just feet away from a Bowie residential community late Saturday night.
The Crash and Delayed Discovery
According to Maryland State Police, the plane took off from Ocean City, New Jersey, heading toward Montgomery County Air Park. Initial investigations reveal the crash occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
There were no eyewitnesses or 911 calls at the time of the impact. Instead, Prince George’s County Emergency Communications received an automated iPhone crash notification at approximately 11:45 p.m. Despite the alert, rescue crews searched for hours before discovering the wreckage at 3:45 a.m. Sunday in a heavily wooded area off Scarlett Oak Court.
Narrowly Missing Residential Homes
The aircraft—believed to belong to a local Montgomery County flight school—came down directly adjacent to a townhouse community and a local park playground. Parts of the wreckage, including a wing, landed in a resident’s backyard.
“It could’ve been even worse because of the proximity of the crash,” said Elena Russo with the Maryland State Police. Fortunately, no injuries were reported on the ground.
Local neighbors reported hearing a loud, seven-second “boom” that they initially mistook for a passing thunderstorm.
Investigation Underway
State Police confirmed that all three victims were adult males, and they were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are withholding their identities until their families are notified.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have taken over the investigation to determine what caused the aircraft to go down. The playground and basketball court area will remain closed indefinitely during the investigation.
