Grumman G-44A N402E

Summary

On 6 September 2025 at about 13:20 local time, a Grumman G-44A registered N402E was involved in an accident near Beaver Cove, Maine, United States. One person was 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

6 September 2025 at 13:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Beaver Cove, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Greenville Muni (3B1)

Coordinates

45.5628, -69.6269

Aircraft

Grumman G-44A

Registration

N402E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA341

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s distraction and failure to monitor the airplane’s flight path, which resulted in controlled flight into a lake.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After performing a flyby of nearby event, the pilot of the vintage amphibious airplane flew the airplane out over a lake near the seabase. While maneuvering, he attempted to contact people on the ground utilizing the common traffic advisory frequency he had heard people using earlier in the week. After failing to reach anyone, the pilot set the flight controls for a slow descent. Then he used his mobile phone to send a text message asking a friend for the radio frequency in use, and upon reply, changed the frequency. After setting the phone down, the pilot looked up as the airplane impacted the surface of the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the front fuselage and hull, left wing, and both sponsons. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.