Maine, United States: A Diamond DA20-A1 Katana single-engine aircraft crashed into the water near Fort William Henry in Bristol, Maine, on Thursday, August 20, killing the pilot and injuring the passenger. Two men were aboard the aircraft when it went down near the mouth of the Pemaquid River, where it empties into Pemaquid Harbor.
The crash was reported at around 1 p.m. local time, while the Federal Aviation Administration placed the crash time at approximately 1:40 p.m. The aircraft came down near Fort William Henry in the New Harbor area of Bristol, in Lincoln County, and was found upside down in approximately four feet of water close to shore.
The aircraft was identified by the FAA as a Diamond DA20, a two-seat, single-engine aircraft. Aircraft-registration and aviation records identify the accident aircraft as N83RF, a 1996 Diamond DA20-A1 Katana, serial number 10139. The aircraft is a fixed-wing, single-engine airplane with two seats and a Rotax reciprocating engine. Current registration data identifies it as privately registered rather than operated by an airline.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the aircraft had departed Brunswick Executive Airport and was headed for Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head, roughly east of the crash site. Investigators initially believed the aircraft may have experienced a mechanical problem, but officials stressed that the actual cause had not been established. The sheriff’s office said, “Initial information indicated the aircraft had left Brunswick Airport with a destination of the Knox County Airport and possibly experienced some type of mechanical failure.”
The aircraft’s final moments were followed by a rapid response from people on the shoreline. Nearby residents and a building crew who witnessed the crash rushed into the water to help. The pilot was pulled from the aircraft but died at the scene, while the passenger managed to escape from the wreckage on his own.
The passenger was taken to MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, at the Miles campus, with non-life-threatening injuries. Officials said he was expected to survive. The identities of both occupants had not been released in the latest reports.
The emergency response involved the Bristol Fire and Rescue Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service. The Maine Marine Patrol also assisted at the crash site. Responders placed containment equipment around the aircraft, which was lying inverted in the shallow harbor water.
A local marine barge was subsequently used to remove the Diamond DA20 from the water. The aircraft was taken to a secure location where it could be examined as part of the federal investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. FAA public affairs specialist Rick Breitenfeldt said the “FAA, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board, will investigate the cause of the crash.” No official cause had been determined as of the latest available reports.
The initial reference to a possible mechanical failure remains only an investigative lead and should not be presented as the confirmed cause. The NTSB is expected to examine the aircraft, its maintenance history, flight data and other operational factors before determining what led to the crash.
