Dean's interest in aviation was sparked years ago when he sat next to a young pilot on a commercial flight who was reading a flying magazine. He took his first lesson in August 1996. Less than a year later, he earned his pilot's license.
After growing weary of expensive airplane rentals - costs can run up to $100 an hour - Dean decided to build a plane.
"I thought about buying a plane, but it's really expensive," Dean said.
Besides, he was up for a project that he could throw himself into.
"I've always been good with my hands," he said. "I can pretty much learn anything as I go."
The kit for the white Genesis aircraft, which Dean purchased on the Web site of a company that also sells used planes, arrived in June 1999. Dean assembled everything except the engine, which he bought separately for $13,000.
After his plane passed FAA inspection in June last year, Dean waited for a day with clear skies and calm winds to go for a test flight. His wife, Lori, didn't know he was taking the plane out that day.
Safety was a priority. Dean had installed a video camera in the cockpit so he could monitor how the plane performed, and he wore a motorcycle helmet. On a lark, he had shoved a knife in his pocket before he left his house.
Preparation
At 4 p.m., after spending 30 minutes sitting in the cockpit mentally preparing himself, Dean was ready for takeoff. He planned to circle the airport a few times and come back in.
"Everything seemed right," Dean said. "I pulled out on the runway and sat there for a minute. I'd been nervous for a while. I didn't know what to expect."
He hit the throttle, sped down the runway and took off. The initial minutes of the flight were exhilarating, Dean said. But when his ascent reached about 500 feet, the plane began to go out of control and plummeted.
About 200 feet from the ground, Dean pulled the bright red lever to release a parachute that was attached to the plane.
Crash in the woods
Dean crashed into the woods on the southbound side of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, just north of Route 197, the parachute tangled in a tree. The flight had lasted 15 minutes.
"I was shocked," he said. "I wasn't sure what to do."
Dean was pinned in the cockpit. Realizing that gas was gushing from the plane, he grabbed his knife and worked frantically to cut his seat belt. Several bystanders helped pull him from the cockpit. One woman applied a compress to his injured nose.
