Piper PA-28RT accident near Houlton, Maine, December 4, 1987
On December 4, 1987 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT, registered CGRQU, was destroyed in an accident near Houlton, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 4, 1987 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Houlton, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT · all PA-28RTs on the register
- Registration
- CGRQU · no longer on the register · serial 28 7931263
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION FLIGHT TO QUEBEC CITY IN CANADA AND WHILE CRUISING AT ABOUT 6500 FEET, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATION, 43 NAUTICAL MILES NNW OF HOULTON VOR ON A 306 DEGREE HEADING. THE ENGINE THEN STARTED TO RUN ROUGH AND EVENTUALLY LOST POWER. EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON ITS BELLY ON A LOGGING ROAD. THE RIGHT WING HIT A TREE STUMP, THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. INVEST REVEALED THAT #1 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED. THE ENG SHOWED SIGNS OF HEAT DISTRESS AROUND THE #1 ROD. THE ACFT HAD OIL ON THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE. THERE WAS ALSO A HOLE IN THE TOP REAR OF THE ENG.
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: 910 hours in all; 728 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 828 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,497 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-FB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Fredricton
- Destination: Toranti
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 24 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.