Cessna T206 accident near Pittsfield, Maine, August 23, 2018
On August 23, 2018 at about 3:00 am local time, a 2002 Cessna T206, registered N35442, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Pittsfield, Maine (Pittsfield Muni). It was a public-use flight (federal) under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Wear of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust camshaft lobe and roller tappet, which resulted in the failure of the tappet and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2018 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Pittsfield, Maine · Pittsfield Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T206 H, built 2002 · all T206s on the register
- Registration
- N35442 · no longer on the register · serial T20608328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight (federal) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was returning after a mission flight when he heard a "bang." The engine then lost power. He declared an emergency with air traffic control and received radar vectors to a nearby airport, but the airplane impacted a heavily wooded marsh about 3/4 mile from the runway, which resulted in serious injury to the pilot and substantial damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination revealed that the No. 4 cylinder exhaust hydraulic roller tappet was fractured and had separated. Further examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 exhaust camshaft lobe and the corresponding roller tappet were severely worn and damaged. Additionally, the No. 4 exhaust roller tappet body ears, which supported the roller shaft and bearing, were also damaged, and one of the ears had fractured in fatigue. Metallurgical examination showed that the engine components conformed to the manufacturer's specifications. It is likely that the severe wear between the roller and camshaft led to nonstandard loading conditions, the fatigue failure of the roller tappet body ear, the subsequent liberation of the roller and its components, and the total loss of engine power.
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 engine power (total) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,100 hours in all; 327 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 5,500 as pilot in command; 2,350 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 22, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,805 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 14, 2018; 2 hours since
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO540-AJ1A (piston); 1,840 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGR Bangor ME at 1:00 am
- Destination: BGR Bangor ME
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 4,003 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.64 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from KWVL, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on June 18, 2020. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Non-volatile Memory Data | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Lycoming Material Laboratory Report | PDF, 32 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Jpi EDM 900 Data | data file | Download |
| 7 | Wreckage Release and Evidence Control Forms | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Certification of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 5 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.