Cessna C172P N53809

Summary

On 28 May 1985 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna C172P registered N53809, operated by Gregory J. Burchstead, was involved in an accident near Fryeburg, Maine, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

28 May 1985 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fryeburg, Maine, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna C172P

Registration

N53809

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gregory J. Burchstead

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Beverly

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC85FA136

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT CRASHED IN AN UNCONTROLLED ATTITUDE NEAR THE RWY FROM WHICH IT HAD RECENTLY DEPARTED. THERE WAS A 40 DEGREE DOWN SWATH CUT THROUGH THE TREES TO A CRATER IN THE GROUND. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM THE CRASH SITE AND EXAMINED AND NOTHING WAS FOUND TO PREVENT NORMAL OPERTION. ONE WITNESS REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL AND APPEARED TO BE ALMOST IN A STALL. THE ENGINE SOUNDED SMOOTH BUT NOT RUNNING AT FULL SPEED. THE ACFT APPEARED HEAVY & SLUGGISH. THE WX WAS LIGHT RAIN, SORT OF A MIST, AT THAT TIME. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM THIS WITNESS RANGE OF SIGHT AND WAS NOT SEEN AGAIN. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED THE NEXT DAY AIDED BY SIGNALS FROM THE ELT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.