What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
16 July 2026145 received call notifying of fatal accident at curlew pond. Arrived on scene at approximately 1330. On scene:
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Found privacy data omitted inverted in curlew pond damage noted to aircraft included deflection of fore and aft right wing struts, crush damage to the top of vertical stabilizer and rudder with addition oil canning of the left and right vertical skins. Large tears in the fabric noted on belly just aft of main landing gear and on right side of fuselage in the area of the a n j of the registration number. The wing strut damage classified the damage as significant.
Removal company attempted to right the aircraft at the crash site but was unsuccessful. Aircraft was floated, inverted to a more accessible beach several hundred yards down the shore recovery company righted the aircraft using a skid steer, lifting from the horizontal stabilizer and rotating aircraft on its nose. Aircraft was the bulled onto the beach and chocked.
Preliminary inspection revealed the following: both fuel caps missing. Could not determine if they were left off or had dislodged during inverted transport. However, there was scraping the area of both caps indicating the wings had been dragged on the pond floor during transport. Magneto switch in “both” battery master, avionics master, landing light, nav light, strobe and fuel pump switches all on mixture and throttle both at full ELT and ELT remote switch both in armed. ELT was not transmitting
Spoke with jason agulera and at his behest secured all aircraft logs and the garmin data card. Ma state police secured the scene for the night. Departed scene at approximate 1900.
17 July 2026 arrived on scene at 0730. Additional FAA ASI on sceen for training: privacy data omitted, bos FSDO privacy data omitted, bos FSDO privacy data omitted, bos FSDO. privacy data omitted Arrived on scene at 0800 and assumed iic.
Continued inspection of aircraft. Determined all primary flight controls to be free. Throttle and mixture both free and actuating control arms. Propeller spins and compression felt on all 4 cylinders.
Performance towing arrived to transport aircraft. Wings were removed. Wings and fuselage placed on tilt deck tow truck and moved to hangar at cape cod community college at pym.
Continued inspection of aircraft. Fuel selector found to be in both. Smal amount of residual fuel found in tanks; tanks had no visible damage. Checked fuel lines from tanks to sector and found small amount of fuel in each. Fuel selector valve functioned normally. Gascolator contained mixture of fuel and water, screen was clean. Fuel servo screen was clean. Fuel line between pump and servo was dry. Upper spark plugs fouled, as was expected due to aircraft inversion, but no cracking was noted on ceramic and visual inspection of gap looked good. Some spark was noted when testing magnetos but mags were found to be full of water. Oil several quarts low upon inspection at dip stick, however when right magneto was removed a large amount of oil and water drained from accessory case in sufficient amount to determine oil level was acceptable during fight. Spun pro with plugs removed and found engine moved freely.
20 July 2026 aircft moved to provate hangar of privacy data omitted. Conducted check of right magneto and determined it to be firing on all 4 cylinders. Left magneto was inconclusive but suspect it was still contaminated with water.
22 July 2026 visual inspection revealed no damage to fuel pump. Inquired with NTSB iic if they wished for pump to be sent out for operation testing. NTSB decided not to send out pump.
Based on physical evidence and recent log book entries the aircraft appears to have been in good mechanical condition on the day of the accident.
As the FAA filed it
16 JULY 2026145 RECEIVED CALL NOTIFYING OF FATAL ACCIDENT AT CURLEW POND. ARRIVED ON SCENE AT APPROXIMATELY 1330. ON SCENE:
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FOUND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INVERTED IN CURLEW POND DAMAGE NOTED TO AIRCRAFT INCLUDED DEFLECTION OF FORE AND AFT RIGHT WING STRUTS, CRUSH DAMAGE TO THE TOP OF VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER WITH ADDITION OIL CANNING OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT VERTICAL SKINS. LARGE TEARS IN THE FABRIC NOTED ON BELLY JUST AFT OF MAIN LANDING GEAR AND ON RIGHT SIDE OF FUSELAGE IN THE AREA OF THE A N J OF THE REGISTRATION NUMBER. THE WING STRUT DAMAGE CLASSIFIED THE DAMAGE AS SIGNIFICANT.
REMOVAL COMPANY ATTEMPTED TO RIGHT THE AIRCRAFT AT THE CRASH SITE BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. AIRCRAFT WAS FLOATED, INVERTED TO A MORE ACCESSIBLE BEACH SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS DOWN THE SHORE RECOVERY COMPANY RIGHTED THE AIRCRAFT USING A SKID STEER, LIFTING FROM THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ROTATING AIRCRAFT ON ITS NOSE. AIRCRAFT WAS THE BULLED ONTO THE BEACH AND CHOCKED.
PRELIMINARY INSPECTION REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: BOTH FUEL CAPS MISSING. COULD NOT DETERMINE IF THEY WERE LEFT OFF OR HAD DISLODGED DURING INVERTED TRANSPORT. HOWEVER, THERE WAS SCRAPING THE AREA OF BOTH CAPS INDICATING THE WINGS HAD BEEN DRAGGED ON THE POND FLOOR DURING TRANSPORT. MAGNETO SWITCH IN “BOTH” BATTERY MASTER, AVIONICS MASTER, LANDING LIGHT, NAV LIGHT, STROBE AND FUEL PUMP SWITCHES ALL ON MIXTURE AND THROTTLE BOTH AT FULL ELT AND ELT REMOTE SWITCH BOTH IN ARMED. ELT WAS NOT TRANSMITTING
SPOKE WITH JASON AGULERA AND AT HIS BEHEST SECURED ALL AIRCRAFT LOGS AND THE GARMIN DATA CARD. MA STATE POLICE SECURED THE SCENE FOR THE NIGHT. DEPARTED SCENE AT APPROXIMATE 1900.
17 JULY 2026 ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 0730. ADDITIONAL FAA ASI ON SCEEN FOR TRAINING: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, BOS FSDO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, BOS FSDO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, BOS FSDO. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 0800 AND ASSUMED IIC.
CONTINUED INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT. DETERMINED ALL PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROLS TO BE FREE. THROTTLE AND MIXTURE BOTH FREE AND ACTUATING CONTROL ARMS. PROPELLER SPINS AND COMPRESSION FELT ON ALL 4 CYLINDERS.
PERFORMANCE TOWING ARRIVED TO TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. WINGS WERE REMOVED. WINGS AND FUSELAGE PLACED ON TILT DECK TOW TRUCK AND MOVED TO HANGAR AT CAPE COD COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT PYM.
CONTINUED INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT. FUEL SELECTOR FOUND TO BE IN BOTH. SMAL AMOUNT OF RESIDUAL FUEL FOUND IN TANKS; TANKS HAD NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. CHECKED FUEL LINES FROM TANKS TO SECTOR AND FOUND SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL IN EACH. FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. GASCOLATOR CONTAINED MIXTURE OF FUEL AND WATER, SCREEN WAS CLEAN. FUEL SERVO SCREEN WAS CLEAN. FUEL LINE BETWEEN PUMP AND SERVO WAS DRY. UPPER SPARK PLUGS FOULED, AS WAS EXPECTED DUE TO AIRCRAFT INVERSION, BUT NO CRACKING WAS NOTED ON CERAMIC AND VISUAL INSPECTION OF GAP LOOKED GOOD. SOME SPARK WAS NOTED WHEN TESTING MAGNETOS BUT MAGS WERE FOUND TO BE FULL OF WATER. OIL SEVERAL QUARTS LOW UPON INSPECTION AT DIP STICK, HOWEVER WHEN RIGHT MAGNETO WAS REMOVED A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL AND WATER DRAINED FROM ACCESSORY CASE IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNT TO DETERMINE OIL LEVEL WAS ACCEPTABLE DURING FIGHT. SPUN PRO WITH PLUGS REMOVED AND FOUND ENGINE MOVED FREELY.
20 JULY 2026 AIRCFT MOVED TO PROVATE HANGAR OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. CONDUCTED CHECK OF RIGHT MAGNETO AND DETERMINED IT TO BE FIRING ON ALL 4 CYLINDERS. LEFT MAGNETO WAS INCONCLUSIVE BUT SUSPECT IT WAS STILL CONTAMINATED WITH WATER.
22 JULY 2026 VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED NO DAMAGE TO FUEL PUMP. INQUIRED WITH NTSB IIC IF THEY WISHED FOR PUMP TO BE SENT OUT FOR OPERATION TESTING. NTSB DECIDED NOT TO SEND OUT PUMP.
BASED ON PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND RECENT LOG BOOK ENTRIES THE AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN IN GOOD MECHANICAL CONDITION ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.