Cessna C172P accident near Fryeburg, Maine, May 28, 1985
On May 28, 1985 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna C172P, registered N53809, was destroyed in an accident near Fryeburg, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- May 28, 1985 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fryeburg, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C172P
- Registration
- N53809 · no longer on the register · serial 17274820
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN UNCONTROLLED ATTITUDE NEAR THE RWY FROM WHICH IT HAD RECENTLY DEPARTED. THERE WAS A 40 DEGREE DOWN SWATH CUT THROUGH THE TREES TO A CRATER IN THE GROUND. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM THE CRASH SITE AND EXAMINED AND NOTHING WAS FOUND TO PREVENT NORMAL OPERTION. ONE WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL AND APPEARED TO BE ALMOST IN A STALL. THE ENGINE SOUNDED SMOOTH BUT NOT RUNNING AT FULL SPEED. THE ACFT APPEARED HEAVY & SLUGGISH. THE WX WAS LIGHT RAIN, SORT OF A MIST, AT THAT TIME. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM THIS WITNESS RANGE OF SIGHT AND WAS NOT SEEN AGAIN. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED THE NEXT DAY AIDED BY SIGNALS FROM THE ELT.
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
- Flight time: 128 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 85 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,171 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 1985; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BVY Beverly MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 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 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.