Cessna 172N accident near Newry, Maine, June 22, 2006
On June 22, 2006 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N572BA, was destroyed in an accident near Newry, Maine (Bethel Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain altitude/clearance while maneuvering, which resulted in an impact with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2006 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Newry, Maine · Bethel Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N572BA · registry record · serial 17271675
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After boarding three Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets for an orientation flight, the flight instructor of the Cessna 172 executed a takeoff. Once airborne, the airplane made an "immediate" right turn directly towards a mountain. The airplane continued towards the mountain, paralleled the mountain's face, then passed over the mountain and out of sight. The wreckage was located in a heavily wooded area 2,070 feet above sea level. The debris path and impact marks were consistent with a near vertical impact. Also, no preimpact mechanical malfunctions were discovered when the wreckage was examined. The flight instructor had a history of flying low and performing maneuvers bordering on excessive with cadets onboard. The day of the accident and on the flight prior to the accident flight, cadets experienced zero-g maneuvers, along with near vertical climbs and descents with the pilot recovering between 75 to 100 feet above the ground.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 861 hours in all; 251 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 619 as pilot in command; 334 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,751 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0B1 Bethel ME at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 0B1
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from BML, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.