Maryland State Police Responds To Single-Engine Plane Crash In Worcester County

(OCEAN CITY, MD) – Maryland State Police responded to a small plane crash that occurred this afternoon in Worcester County.

Shortly before 2 p.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack received a 911 call for a private aircraft that crashed into the Sinepuxent Bay adjacent to the Salisbury/Ocean City Regional Airport. According to a preliminary investigation, the pilot of the plane, identified as Matthew Cortigiani, 25, of Utah, advised that smoke filled the cabin as he attempted to shut off the single-engine plane.

The pilot redirected to the airport in an attempt to land.  The aircraft bounced on the runway and crashed into the bay east of the end of the runway. The Ocean City Fire Department transported one of the five occupants of the plane to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Hospital in Salisbury, Maryland for treatment of their injuries. 

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were notified, with an FAA representative responding to the scene.  The Worcester County Bureau of Investigation also assisted at the scene.

The FAA will assume the crash investigation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, msp.media@maryland.gov