Cessna 182Q accident near Bingham, Maine, August 28, 1998
On August 28, 1998 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N735PS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bingham, Maine (Gadabout Gaddis airport). 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 pilot's inattention to changing wind conditions, and lack of correction for the change. A factor in the accident was the damp grass runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1998 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bingham, Maine · Gadabout Gaddis
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N735PS · registry record · serial 18265582
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a witness, the airplane made a short field approach to the same runway that the three previous airplanes had used. The wind, estimated at 5 knots, shifted 180 degrees, and the airplane touched down long. It ground looped, and went over a river bank at the end of the runway. The airport was located in an area surrounded by mountains, except for the river at the end of the runway, and was known for wind shifts. The pilot stated that he never noticed the wind shift.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 967 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUG Augusta ME at 7:30 pm
- Destination: ME08
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.