Piper J3C accident near Old Town, Maine, May 29, 2006
On May 29, 2006 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper J3C, registered N1401V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Old Town, Maine (Dewitt Field, Seaplane Base). 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 airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent impact with water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2006 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Old Town, Maine · Dewitt Field, Seaplane Base · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C · all J3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1401V · registry record · serial 10771
- 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 shortly after taking off from a river in a float equipped Piper J3C, he was informed by radio that he had departed without his phone. The pilot returned to land, and during the landing, the airplane touched down on the right float, and the right wingtip subsequently impacted the water. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot stated that after takeoff, he stalled the airplane while in a turn and then "crashed in the lake." He also stated that the "density altitude got the best of me." The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 685 hours in all; 295 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,859 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KOLD Old Town ME at 6:30 pm
- Destination: Penobscot River ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17W, 8,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KBGR, 11 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.
Other NTSB records under N1401V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.