Beech 58 accident near Mapleton, Maine, August 14, 1995
On August 14, 1995 at about 1:35 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N168CG, was destroyed in an accident near Mapleton, Maine. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot inadvertently shut down the right engine and feathered the propeller after a loss of power in the left engine, and he failed to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with the ground. A factor relating to the accident was failure of the number six and number five connecting rods in the left engine, which resulted in a loss of power in that engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1995 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Mapleton, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N168CG · no longer on the register · serial TH-1473
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed at night and initiated a climb to cruise altitude. A witness heard the engine(s) operating normally, and then silence. The witness then observed the airplane, descending and rotating in a nose down attitude. The airplane descended through trees, in a left spin, and impacted the ground. An examination revealed that both propellers were feathered, and the landing gear was retracted. The inspection of the left engine disclosed that the number six and number five connecting rods had failed, and the number four connecting rod had evidence of overheating. There was evidence that the number six rod had failed first, allowing for oil starvation and subsequent failure of the number five connecting rod.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 3,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,305 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1995; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CAR Caribou ME at 1:25 am
- Destination: PSM Portsmouth NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from CAR, 12 miles away
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.