Cessna 180H accident near Porter, Maine, August 11, 1982
On August 11, 1982 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Cessna 180H, registered N2800T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Porter, Maine. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- August 11, 1982 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Porter, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180H · all 180Hs on the register
- Registration
- N2800T · no longer on the register · serial 180-51906
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS TAKING OFF FROM A POND WHICH IS ABOUT 4,200 FT AT ITS LONGEST LENGTH. A POWER LINE EXTENDS ACROSS THE POND ABOUT 2,000 FT FROM THE SOUTH END. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO TAKEOFF TO THE NORTH REMAINING ON THE WATER WHILE PASSING UNDER THE WIRES. THE ACFT CLIMBED SLOWLY & STRUCK 75 FT TREES AT THE NORTH EDGE OF THE POND. THE FLAPS WERE FOUND 30 DEG DOWN. THE FUEL SAMPLES WERE GOLD COLORED & SIMILAR TO AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE IN APPEARANCE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,305 hours in all; 1,641 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 1,406 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,965 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Porter ME
- Destination: Porter ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from PWM, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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.