FirstAlerts
Plane CrashesVersion 4

Pilot dies in Maine plane crash into Pemaquid Harbor

A Diamond DA20 crashed upside down in shallow water near Bristol, Maine; the pilot died and a passenger was injured.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 20, 2026, 8:01 p.m. ETUpdated Aug 21, 2026, 10:52 p.m. ET
A aircraft crashed near , Maine, on either August 20, 2026, or April 3, 2025, according to conflicting reports from bangordailynews.com and wmtw.com. The plane came to rest upside down in about 4 feet of water close to shore. The pilot died at the scene despite rescue efforts, and the passenger got out on his own and was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to q1065.fm. One fatality and one injury were reported by q1065.fm. The plane had departed from Brunswick Airport and was headed to Knox County Airport when it apparently experienced a mechanical failure, according to q1065.fm. The aircraft was registered to John B. Hall of Lee, New Hampshire, and Hall had received certification for the plane just eight days before the crash, according to bangordailynews.com, wmur.com, and q1065.fm. The registered owner of record is not necessarily the operator of the flight. The crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation and Safety Board, as reported by q1065.fm, though bangordailynews.com reports only that The cause has not been determined.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
171 ft
Nearest aerodrome
7.3 miles SSW of Myricks Airport (1M8)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 422 Aug 2026, 02:52current

    Updated to reflect conflicting date reports and added attribution for the investigation status.

  2. Version 321 Aug 2026, 23:23

    Updated to reflect conflicting dates and investigation statuses from sources.

  3. Version 221 Aug 2026, 18:52

    Added date, time conflict, owner details, and clarified investigation status conflict.

  4. Version 121 Aug 2026, 03:59

    First published.

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