Cessna 185 accident near Dover Foxcroft, Maine, September 3, 1992
On September 3, 1992 at about 11:45 am local time, a Cessna 185, registered N93766, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dover Foxcroft, Maine (Dover/Foxcroft airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE SERVICING OF THE AIRCRAFT WHICH RESULTED IN THE LACK OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND THE CONSEQUENT LOSS OF BRAKE PRESURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1992 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Dover Foxcroft, Maine · Dover/Foxcroft
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N93766 · no longer on the register · serial 1423R
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO VEER LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE PILOT APPLIED THE RIGHT BRAKE AND GOT NO RESPONSE. HE TRIED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE BY APPLYING THROTTLE TO GET TAIL RUDDER CONTROL, BUT THIS ACTION WAS INEFFECTIVE. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO VEER OFF THE RUNWAY AND DOWN THE AN EMBANKMENT. AS THE AIRPLANE TIPPED DOWN OVER THE EMBANKMENT, THE PILOT'S KNEE PUSHED THE THROTTLE FORWARD, WHICH GAVE THE ENGINE A BURST OF POWER. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED DOWN THE EMBANKMENT AND NOSED OVER. THE ON SCENE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THERE WAS NO BRAKE FLUID IN THE RIGHT BRAKE RESERVOIR AND THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF FLUID LEAKAGE THROUGHOUT THE BRAKE SYSTEM. EXAMINATION OF THE RAKE SYSTEM DID NOT REVEAL ANY ANOMALIES. THE PILOT STATED HE ACCOMPLISHED A BRAKE CHECK PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AND DID NOT OBSERVE ANY MALFUNCTION. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED 153 HOURS SINCE THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION 11 MONTHS EARLIER.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 26,100 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 330 in the last 90 days; 105 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command; 1,510 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,344 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1991; 153 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 44B at 11:45 am
- Destination: 3B1 Greenville ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,400 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.