Amateur-built SH2 accident near Passadumkeag, Maine, July 11, 2018
On July 11, 2018 at about 11:20 pm local time, a 1995 amateur-built SH2, registered N352GL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Passadumkeag, Maine. 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
A total loss of engine power due to a fatigue fracture of the crankshaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2018 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Passadumkeag, Maine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SH2, built 1995
- Registration
- N352GL · no longer on the register · serial 305
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the experimental, amateur-built airplane's engine started to run "rough" and lost partial power. The pilot checked the engine gauges, noted no irregularities, and unsuccessfully attempted to restore engine power by turning the fuel boost pump on. Within about 30 seconds of the initial power loss, the engine lost total power and the propeller stopped. The pilot performed a forced landing to a bog and the airplane came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage. Disassembly and examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured at the No. 4 cylinder journal. Further examination of the fracture surface revealed fatigue striations consistent with fatigue crack propagation. These striations were finely spaced and exhibited changing or erratic thicknesses on different areas of the fracture surface, consistent with propagation through high-cycle fatigue. The reason for the crack initiation could not be determined. According to the engine maintenance log, the engine experienced a propeller strike during a landing incident about 5 years and 368 flight hours before the accident. The pilot elected not to have the propeller strike or sudden stoppage inspection performed, since it was not mandatory for non-certificated engines.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 12.5 in the last 30 days; 5,575 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 692.4 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 12, 2017; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 692 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LRG Lincoln ME at 10:55 pm
- Destination: LRG Lincoln ME
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from MLT, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on April 13, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine Examination Report | PDF, 18 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Engine Maintenance Record Excerpts | PDF, 17 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Evidence Control Forms | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.