Authorities said the aircraft was believed to be on a training flight from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County.
BOWIE, MD — Three adults died after a small plane crashed late Saturday near a residential area in Bowie, ending a night flight that authorities said began in Ocean City, New Jersey, and was bound for Montgomery County.
The crash drew a large overnight search in Prince George’s County after emergency dispatchers received an automated crash alert from an iPhone. Maryland State Police said the aircraft went down in a wooded area near homes and a playground. Officials said the pilot and two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names had not been released Sunday morning.
The alert came in shortly before midnight Saturday, with officials giving times of about 11:30 p.m. to 11:53 p.m. Search teams did not locate the wreckage until about 3:45 a.m. Sunday near Scarlet Lane and Scarlett Oak Court, in a wooded area close to a townhouse community. Maryland State Police spokeswoman Elena Russo said the crash was especially troubling because of where it happened. “It was an absolute tragic incident,” Russo said. Officials said no injuries were reported on the ground.
Authorities said the plane was a single-engine aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the crash of a Piper PA-28 near Bowie. Other officials described the aircraft as a Piper Cherokee. Police said early information showed the plane belonged to a flight school in Montgomery County and may have been on a training flight. The aircraft was traveling from Ocean City, New Jersey, toward a Montgomery County airport when it went down near the Routes 50 and 301 area.
The wreckage was found after crews searched from the ground and air through the early morning darkness. Officials said debris was scattered across roughly 100 feet. The crash site was near a residential neighborhood and a playground, but authorities had not reported damage to homes. Investigators had not said Sunday what caused the plane to go down, whether the pilot reported trouble before the crash or what weather, mechanical or flight conditions may have played a role.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with the Federal Aviation Administration also involved. The NTSB said no additional information was expected Sunday. An investigator was expected to examine the scene, document the wreckage, review flight and radar data, and gather records tied to the aircraft, its maintenance and the people aboard. A preliminary report is expected later, but a final finding on the cause could take much longer.
The crash shook a quiet stretch of Bowie, a Prince George’s County city east of Washington, where the plane came down close to homes instead of an airport. Officials said the search began after the phone alert gave emergency responders the first sign that something had happened. The delay between the alert and the discovery of the wreckage left crews working for hours in the dark before they confirmed the deaths.
By Sunday morning, police were still withholding the victims’ identities while families were notified. The next major update is expected after federal investigators complete their first review of the crash site and release preliminary details.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, June 21, 2026.