Dehavilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A accident near Rockland, Maine, July 23, 2011
On July 23, 2011 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Dehavilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A, registered N8872, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rockland, Maine (Knox County 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
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper approach path during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2011 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Rockland, Maine · Knox County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland TIGER MOTH DH 82A · all TIGER MOTH DH 82As on the register
- Registration
- N8872 · no longer on the register · serial PG.625
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was landing at the conclusion of a local flight. As the airplane passed over the runway threshold the airplane's main landing gear contacted high grass. The airplane nosed over and impacted the runway inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both left and right top wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident, and that the accident could have been prevented by conducting a higher approach to landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing area undershoot during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,075 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 4, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,410 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,790 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Morris Motors GIPSY MAJOR (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RKD Rockland ME
- Destination: RKD Rockland ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21R, 1,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from RKD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N8872 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 ERA11CA420.