Piper PA -28-181 accident near Skowhegan, Maine, August 25, 1994
On August 25, 1994 at about 10:35 am local time, a Piper PA -28-181, registered N11HK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skowhegan, Maine (Central Maine Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
The pilot's failure to do a go around which resulted in an inflight collision with trees during a delayed aborted landing to avoid a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1994 · about 10:35 am local time
- Place
- Skowhegan, Maine · Central Maine Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA -28-181
- Registration
- N11HK · registry record · serial 28-8190270
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE VOLUNTEER, AIRLIFE PILOT STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING. HE STATED THAT UPON ARRIVAL AT HIS DESTINATION HE OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT AND HE SELECTED RUNWAY 3 AS THERE WAS SOME FOG IN THE AREA, BUT RUNWAY 3 WAS CLEAR OF FOG. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ON FINAL APPROACH AS HE PASSED OVER THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 3 AT APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 50 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY, HE LOST SIGHT OF THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE INCREASED THE POWER TO GO-AROUND, BUT AS HE STARTED HIS GO-AROUND THE RUNWAY CAME INTO SIGHT AGAIN, SO HE DECIDED TO LAND. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE LANDING, HE REALIZED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH RUNWAY REMAINING SO HE TRIED TO GO-AROUND AGAIN. DURING THE CLIMB OUT AT ABOUT 20 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES AT THE DEPARTURE END AND FELL TO THE GROUND. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 960 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 860 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 1993; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OWD Norwood MA at 9:09 am
- Destination: OWK Norridgewock ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,998 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:49 am from AUG, 23 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO94LA148.