Cessna 150 accident near Eliot, Maine, November 14, 1983
On November 14, 1983 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N704UG, was destroyed in an accident near Eliot, Maine. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- November 14, 1983 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Eliot, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N704UG · no longer on the register · serial 15078880
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT NOSED OVER DURING A FORCED LANDING IN SOFT EARTH AFTER THE ENGINE QUIT DURING TAKEOFF. THIS ACFT HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR A FLT ON 11/13 BUT DUE TO WATER IN THE FUEL IT WAS NOT USED. THE ACFT FUEL WAS DRAINED AND REPLACED AND THE ACFT WAS TEST FLOWN. ON 11/14 DURING PREFLT THE STUDENT PLT COULD NOT DRAIN THE RIGHT TANK TO CHECK FOR WATER AND GOT ASSISTANCE FROM THE FBO. AFTER THE FUEL CHECK THE PLT COMPLETED THE PREFLT. THE ENG WAS DIFFICULT TO START AND REQUIRED EXTRA PRIMING. DURING RUN-UP THE ENGINE PERFORMED NORMALLY. 30 SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF AT 70-75 KTS THE ENGINE QUIT. THE ALT WAS ABOUT 125 FT AGL SO NO RESTART WAS TRIED. THE ACFT GLIDED OVER A POND, LANDED IN SOFT EARTH, AND NOSED OVER. FUEL SAMPLES REMOVED FROM THE FUEL SYSTEM CONTAINED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF WATER.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,122 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 5, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3B4 Littlebrook ME
- Destination: SFM Sanford ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.