Cessna 172P accident near Berwick, Maine, April 11, 1987
On April 11, 1987 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N55309, was destroyed in an accident near Berwick, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- April 11, 1987 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Berwick, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N55309 · no longer on the register · serial 17275156
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED DOING STALLS. A WITNESS SAID THAT PRIOR TO THE CRASH HE SAW THE NOSE LOWER AND THE RIGHT WING DROP. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ENTERED INTO A SPIRAL. IT WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING INTO TREES IN A SPIRAL. THE PLT WAS FOUND IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE LEFT PILOT SEAT WAS OCCUPIED BY A PASSENGER WITH NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AS A PILOT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 355 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command; 16 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,671 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 6, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,307 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6B1 Rochester NH at 10:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.