- Date
- July 29, 1984, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gilead, ME
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N38402Piper J58
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840729038959A
- Case key
- 35723
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was forced to land according to the plt, after a downdraft at low alt & airspeed created a trap. The plt said that he & a friend were looking for a fishing spot, when he realized that he could not make it over the top of rising terrain ahead & could not turn 180 degrees to reverse his flt path. A decision to land straight ahead was made. During the landing the acft was damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38402
- Reported as
- Piper J58
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5-952
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edwin Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Bethel, ME
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 217 total · 4 in this make and model · 190 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.