Cessna R172 accident near Naples, Maine, July 16, 2017
On July 16, 2017 at about 7:15 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna R172, registered N736NK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Naples, Maine (Brandy Pond airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2017 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Naples, Maine · Brandy Pond · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172 K, built 1977 · all R172s on the register
- Registration
- N736NK · registry record · serial R1722656
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a personal, cross-country flight and was attempting to land on a choppy lake with heavy boat traffic. A witness stated that the airplane looked high and fast during its descent before touching down, and a review of a video of the accident sequence revealed rapid, abrupt rolling of the wings just before water contact. At touchdown, the airplane bounced and then rotated back and forth about the roll axis, alternately contacting the water with the left and right pontoons. The roll oscillations increased in magnitude until the right pontoon and right wingtip dragged the water, which brought the airplane to an abrupt stop with the right wingtip submerged. The right wing and horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing defining event
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 650 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 650 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 16, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360 SER (piston); 2,291 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: B19 Biddeford ME at 6:30 pm
- Destination: 5ME Naples ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35W, 7,200 ft by 600 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from KLEW, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA17LA252.