Maryland
Report: Pilot reported ‘pretty significant problem’ before fatal crash on Maryland’s Eastern Shore – WTOP News
A report is out detailing the events that led to the crash of a Cessna airplane and the death of its pilot in Easton, Maryland, on July 16.
The pilot of a small plane reported a “pretty significant engine problem” before a crash on Maryland’s Eastern Shore earlier this month took his life.
Robert Eugene Merlini, 56, of Annapolis, was the only one on board the twin-engine Cessna 402, when it crashed into the water in Easton on July 16.
First reported by The Washington Post, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report found that after taking off from Tipton Airport in Fort Meade just before 9 a.m., Merlini contacted the air control tower some 30 minutes later to report a problem when he was about 12 miles southwest of the Easton Airport.
While following directions from the air control tower, the pilot reported a “pretty bad right engine,” and 30 seconds later declared an emergency, stating that both engines were losing power, the report said.
Air control cleared the plane for landing, but Merlini replied that he was not going to reach the airport and would try to land in a field. The plane made impact on the Tred Avon River some four miles southwest of the Easton Airport.
Merlini was headed to the airport to conduct atmospheric testing flights, the NTSB report said.
Two days before the crash, the plane’s engines had undergone testing by maintenance personnel after an annual inspection. The NTSB report said that the pilot told his manager that 12 gallons of fuel remained in each main fuel tank and that he would add 20 additional gallons to each main fuel tank so he would not have to switch tanks during his flight to Easton.
“Airport security video showed that the pilot added 20 gallons of fuel to each auxiliary fuel tank, rather than the main fuel tanks. The airplane was not flown from the time of that fueling, to the accident flight,” the report said.
Maryland State police said the U.S. Coast Guard as well as authorities in Talbot County responded to the crash.
Divers from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department recovered his body from the water.
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Maryland
Maryland governor celebrates Juneteenth in historically-Black Montgomery County community – WTOP News
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke about the difference between liberation and freedom at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, in one of Montgomery County’s oldest historic Black communities.
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Local leaders in Md. unite for Juneteenth Heritage Festival
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke about the difference between liberation and freedom, in the opening ceremony of the 2026 Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, in one of Montgomery County’s oldest historic Black communities.
In Cabin John Regional Park, Moore was joined by local dignitaries, including descendants of William Dove, the first formerly enslaved man who purchased 36 acres of farmland in 1880 for $210, located in what is now Potomac.
Moore said that ending slavery was an important moment of liberation, celebrated by Juneteenth, “but liberation is not freedom.”
Even after liberation, Moore said that “the idea of freedom became something that still remained elusive.”
When Dove purchased property in the Scotland community, Moore said that economic empowerment was a step toward freedom.
“The freedom to be able to own more than you owe. A freedom to be able to pass something along to your children besides debt. A freedom to be able to walk freely, knowing that you should be able to feel safe in your own community, in your own neighborhood, and in your own skin,” said Moore.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
A University of Maryland (UMD) football player was arrested for harassment, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
Dontay Joyner, a defensive back and rising senior at UMD, was charged with telephone misuse for making repeated calls, electronic communications harassment, and violating release conditions, a misdemeanor offense, according to court records.
Joyner’s attorney is calling the ordeal “outrageous,” saying “[Joyner] has been locked in a cage in Harford County for seven nights after being charged with a misdemeanor for telephone misuse for texting his longtime girlfriend during an argument. This is simply outrageous.”
Joyner’s attorney, Former Attorney General Douglas Gansler, said the 21-year-old has never been in trouble with the law and does not own a handgun. According to Gansler, Joyner’s girlfriend is “fully supportive of him and does not want to press charges.”
According to the UMD Terps website, Joyner is a Lakeland, Florida, native who previously attended Arkansas State. In the spring, Joyner was given the Nick Cross Defensive Back Award in a tradition that honors “past terrapin greats.”
According to court records, Joyner was held without bond.
WJZ has reached out to UMD officials for comment.
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