Piper PA28-140 accident near Rockland, Maine, July 19, 1998
On July 19, 1998 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA28-140, registered N5755F, was destroyed in an accident near Rockland, Maine (Knox County Regional airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed during the takeoff, which resulted in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1998 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rockland, Maine · Knox County Regional
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-140 · all PA28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N5755F · no longer on the register · serial 28-25058
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot (SP) was performing a soft field takeoff. He stated, 'I pulled yoke full aft, power full, [and] rolled down the runway. Plane wallowed into air at approximately 60 MPH. I pushed nose forward, left wing dropped. Plane wandered to side of runway. I lost ground effect. Left wing dropped. Plane looped to left. I tried to correct. Apparently pulled nose up too much [and] stalled....' The airplane's left wing tip and propeller struck the ground. The airplane cartwheeled, and came to rest in a swampy area on the left side of the runway, where a post crash fire ensued. Examination of wreckage did not reveal any evidence a mechanical malfunction of the airframe or engine. The SP reported 43 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model.
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: student
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,165 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1998; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RKD at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from RKD
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.