Cessna 185 accident near Greenville, Maine, October 15, 1986
On October 15, 1986 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N61438, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, Maine (Greenville Seaplane Base airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- October 15, 1986 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Maine · Greenville Seaplane Base
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N61438 · registry record · serial 18504189
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TH PLT STATED THAT THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED CROSSWINDS OF 20 KTS GUSTING TO 30 KTS AS THE ACFT WAS COMING OFF THE STEP DURING LIFTOFF IN THE OPEN LAKE. THE ACFT'S RIGHT WING WAS FORCED DOWN, THE RIGHT FLOAT STRUCK THE WATER WHICH RESULTED IN THE RIGHT WING CONTACTING THE WATER. THE ACFT THEN CARTWHEELED, CAME TO REST INVERTED AND SANK. THE PLT AND REAR SEAT PASSENGER ESCAPED. THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WAS UNABLE TO ESCAPE AND DROWNED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 842 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 171 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 780 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,754 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 28, 1986; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Greenville ME at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.