Amateur-built BETA BIRD accident near Biddeford, Maine, July 16, 1987
On July 16, 1987, a amateur-built BETA BIRD, registered N3954D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Biddeford, Maine (Biddeford Muni airport). It was a personal 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
- July 16, 1987
- Place
- Biddeford, Maine · Biddeford Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BETA BIRD
- Registration
- N3954D · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PRACTICING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS IN HIS HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT. DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOST AFTER IT TOUCHED DOWN DURING A LANDING. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT SWERVED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, WENT IN AN AREA OF TALL GRASS & HIT A DITCH, WHICH SHEARED OFF THE LANDING GEAR.
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: 170 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 1987; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 630 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1600CC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6B1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.