Piper PA-24-180 accident near Bingham, Maine, July 21, 1984
On July 21, 1984 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N5732P, was destroyed in an accident near Bingham, Maine (Gadabout Gaddis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- July 21, 1984 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bingham, Maine · Gadabout Gaddis
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5732P · no longer on the register · serial PA24-806
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT USED, ACCORDING TO VARIOUS ACCOUNTS, BETWEEN 1/2 AND 2/3 OF THE 2300 FT RUNWAY ON TAKE-OFF ROLL. NORMAL HANDBOOK TAKE-OFF RUN IS 750 FT. PASSENGERS STATED ACFT SKIPPED OFF AND TOUCHED BACK DOWN TWICE BEFORE FINALLY BECOMING AIRBORNE. ACFT ROLLED RIGHT THEN LEFT AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. FLAPS WERE FOUND FULL DOWN, FLAP HANDLE UP.
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
- Flight time: 545 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 480 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1983; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.