Boeing PT-17 accident near Hamlin, Maine, July 31, 1982
On July 31, 1982 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Boeing PT-17, registered N1344M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hamlin, Maine. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1982 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hamlin, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing PT-17 · all PT-17s on the register
- Registration
- N1344M · registry record · serial 758325
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED A PRIVATE STRIP WITH 150 GALLONS OF WATER MIXED WITH FUNGICIDE AND INSECTICIDE. AFTER TAKEOFF, HE TURNED AND BEGAN CLIMBING OVER RISING TERRAIN. THE TERRAIN SLOPED UPWARD FROM A RIVER, RISING ABOUT 400 FT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE FAILED TO OUT-CLIMB THE TERRAIN. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED IN A POTATOE FIELD NEAR THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AND OVERTURNED. REPORTEDLY, THE LOAD WAS NOT JETTISONED BEFORE IMPACT. THE TEMPERATURE AND ELEVATION WERE ABOUT 85 DEGREES AND 650 FT, RESPECTIVELY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 768 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 686 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,081 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,717 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hamlin ME at 9:25 am
- Destination: Hamlin ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.