Amateur-built Q-2 accident near Norridgewock, Maine, March 14, 1983
On March 14, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Q-2, registered N298P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Norridgewock, Maine (Norridgewock airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- March 14, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Norridgewock, Maine · Norridgewock
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Q-2
- Registration
- N298P · registry record
- 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 NEW HOME-BUILT ACFT HAD NO PREVIOUS FLT TIME. AFTER MAKING PREPARATIONS, THE PLT TAXIED TO RWY 33 FOR HIGH SPEED TAXI RUNS WITH RUNWAY LIFT-OFFS. ON THE FIRST HIGH SPEED RUN, HE LIFTED OFF TO ABOUT 20 FT AGL, THEN LANDED BACK ON THE RWY. HE REPORTED THAT ON THE SECOND RUN, THE ACFT LIFTED OFF AND IMMEDIATELY WENT UP TO APRX 40 FT AFTER POSSIBLY ENCOUNTERING A GUST OF WIND. TURBULENCE WAS MUCH MORE NOTICEABLE THAN ON THE FIRST LIFT-OFF. THE PLT BECAME CONCERNED THAT THERE WOULD BE INSUFFICIENT RWY REMAINING TO LAND, SO HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO CLIMB. AT APRX 60 FT AGL, THE ENG BEGAN VIBRATING AND THE POWER DROPPED TO ABOUT 2400 RPM. THE PLT ATTEMPTED A LEFT TURN BACK TO THE RWY. HOWEVER, THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY LOST ALTITUDE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE IMPACT POINT WAS IN A SWAMPY THICKET ABOUT 50 YDS FROM THE SIDE OF THE RWY. THE WIND WAS REPORTED TO BE FROM 360 DEG AT 10 GUSTING 20 KTS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Onan B-48 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OWK Norridgewock ME at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.