Maule M-7-260 N3188L

Summary

On 2 August 2010 at about 20:51 local time, a Maule M-7-260 registered N3188L, operated by Page Louis R, was involved in an accident near Onset, Massachusetts, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 August 2010 at 20:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Onset, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

41.7367, -70.6350

Aircraft

Maule M-7-260

Registration

N3188L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Page Louis R

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Westerly → Onset

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA393

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's loss of airplane control during the initial climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after landing the float-equipped airplane in a canal where aircraft were prohibited from landing, he was directed by law enforcement personnel to depart in a northwest direction. The pilot subsequently performed a normal takeoff, and after becoming airborne he banked the airplane to the right and continued to climb in a nose-high attitude. The nose then dropped and the airplane impacted the water. After noticing a puncture hole in the right float, the pilot ascertained that the airplane must have struck an obstacle in the water during the takeoff. A postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did not reveal damage consistent with an obstacle impact. Detailed maps of the canal did not reveal any exposed rocks along the takeoff path and the nearest obstacle would have been 4 feet below the water line. The FAA inspector also viewed a video of the accident flight, which showed the airplane taking off in a level attitude, then commencing a shallow bank right-hand turn. Initially the airplane climbed, but as the angle of bank increased, the nose pointed down to below the horizon and then descended until impact. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.