Piper PA-30 accident near Lincolnville, Maine, July 14, 1987
On July 14, 1987 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N7617Y, was destroyed in an accident near Lincolnville, Maine (Knox CO. Regional airport). 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
- July 14, 1987 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lincolnville, Maine · Knox CO. Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7617Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-690
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS MAKING AN APPROACH TO KNOX COUNTY ARPT, ROCKLAND ME AND AFTER RECEIVING A WX REPORT FROM UNICOM THAT THE LOCAL WX WAS BELOW APPROACH MINIMUMS HE INDICATED THAT HE WOULD MAKE A MISSED APPROACH. THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE ACFT. A WITNESS ON TOP OF BALD MOUNTAIN, NEAR THE ARPT, SAID THE FOG WAS VERY THICK AND THAT HE HEARD THE ACFT HIT THE MOUNTAIN. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE ACFT ENG WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY AND HE HEARD NO SOUNDS OF MALFUNCTION. THE ACFT WAS FOUND APRX 15 MILES FROM THE ARPT ON A 30 DEGREE HEADING. THE PLT HAD EARLIER RECEIVED A REPORT THAT THE WX WAS BELOW MINIMUMS AND NO ACFT HAD ARRIVED AT THE DEST ARPT THAT MORNING. AN INSTRUCTOR WHO HAS GIVEN THE PLT INST TRNG SAID THAT HE OBSERVED A WEAKNESS IN MISSED APPRCH PLANNING DURING TRAINING BUT IT SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN CORRECTED AFTER TRAINING. THE POST ACC INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ACFT MALFUNCTION. NO EVIDENCE OF MEDICAL FACTOR INVOLVEMENT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,288 hours in all; 244 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,018 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,621 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1987; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHT Manchester NH
- Destination: RKD Rockland ME
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: 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.