North American NAVION N8618H

Summary

On 1 May 2026 at about 23:10 local time, a North American NAVION registered N8618H was involved in an accident near New Salem, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

1 May 2026 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

New Salem, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Orange Municipal (ORE)

Coordinates

42.5178, -72.2954

Aircraft

North American NAVION

Registration

N8618H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orange → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA198

1 person had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On May 1, 2026, about 1910 eastern daylight time, a North American Navion, N8618H, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near New Salem, Massachusetts. The pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he conducted a routine preflight inspection, which included flight controls, oil level, and fuel sump checks. Following his inspection, he started the aircraft and taxied to the runway run-up area. The before takeoff checks were normal with no abnormalities observed before departure. After departure, the pilot climbed to 1,700 ft mean seal level and proceeded south toward Quabbin Reservoir. Upon reaching the reservoir, he turned north toward the airport. Shortly thereafter, while in straight and level flight, the engine lost all power. The pilot established best glide speed and attempted to restart the engine without success. Realizing he could not reach the airport, and considering the local roadway traffic, tree coverage, and powerlines, he decided, the safest option was to ditch the airplane in the reservoir. During the approach, the airplane struck trees before touching down on the surface of the water. The airplane subsequently began to sink, and the pilot egressed through the sliding canopy. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage and wings. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.