- Date
- September 1, 2025, 17:30 UTC
- Place
- Eustis, ME · Crash on Flagstaff lake
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3576DCessna 170
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250901012799A
- Case key
- 201020
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent descent, contact with the water, and a subsequent nose over.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the seaplane was departing from calm, glassy lake. During the takeoff, he leveled the airplane about 15 ft above the water in order to gain airspeed. The pilot then reached down to retract the airplane’s flaps and likely inadvertently applied forward pressure on the elevator control. The airplane then contacted the water and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3576D
- Reported as
- Cessna 170 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27119
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 4,804
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-300 SER, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 5, 2025
- Destination
- Fayette, ME
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- October 25, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,160 total · 327 in this make and model · 1,128 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
- Observed at
- GNR, 38 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KGNR 011656Z AUTO VRB03KT 23/10 A3030 RMK AO1 SLP262 T02280100=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.