Beech B23 accident near Trenton, Maine, December 7, 1986
On December 7, 1986 at about 5:25 pm local time, a Beech B23, registered N7651R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trenton, Maine (Bar Harbor 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
- December 7, 1986 · about 5:25 pm local time
- Place
- Trenton, Maine · Bar Harbor
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B23 · all B23s on the register
- Registration
- N7651R · no longer on the register · serial M1259
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT HAD CLIMBED TO 600 FT & WAS CLIMBING AT 300 FT/MIN, WHEN THE ENG 'STARTED TO LABOR,' THEN QUIT RUNNING. HE USED CARBURETOR HEAT & 'PRIMED THROUGH POWER REDUCTION,' BUT THE ENG WOULD NOT RESTART. DURING AN EMERG LNDG ON ROUGH TERRAIN, THE ACFT WAS DMGD. AT THAT TIME, THE TEMP WAS BELOW FREEZING (25 DEG F).NO MECHANICAL REASON WAS FND FOR THE LOSS OF PWR. WHEN THE CARB WAS REMOVED FROM THE ENG & DISSASSEMBLED, THE BOWL WAS FULL OF FUEL WITH NO EVIDENCE OF WATER CONTAMINATION.
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: 357 hours in all; 262 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 296 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,146 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 24, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bar Harbor ME at 5:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,364 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°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.