Cessna 525 Crash in West Gardiner, Maine (N102PT)

Accident Overview and Flight History On February 1, 2008, at approximately 1747 eastern standard time, a Cessna 525, registration N102PT, crashed into a wooded area in West Gardiner, Maine. The aircraft was destroyed, and both occupants, the pilot and one passenger, were killed. The flight was a personal operation under 14 CFR Part 91, departing from Augusta State Airport (AUG) in Augusta, Maine, with a destination of Lincoln Airport (LNK) in Lincoln, Nebraska. The aircraft had taken off from AUG at approximately 1745. Earlier that day, the aircraft was moved into a fixed-base operator (FBO) hangar at the pilot's request. It was later removed from the hangar around 1600 to accommodate an air carrier's aircraft. The pilot filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan at 1701 and received a standard weather briefing that included warnings for icing, fog, mist, precipitation, and turbulence up to the requested altitude of 38,000 feet. The pilot described the weather as “just cruddy.” At 1715, the pilot and passenger loaded their belongings and paid for fuel in a hurry. The pilot declined de-icing. The aircraft was observed taxiing on a snow- and ice-covered grass area rather than the designated taxiway. The pilot made several incorrect runway announcements before departing from runway 17 at 1745. During the climb, the pilot declared an emergency at 1746, reporting an attitude indicator failure. At 1747, the pilot stated she was unsure which direction the aircraft was turning. The transmission ended abruptly, and radar contact was lost. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was subsequently received. Radar data showed the aircraft in a tight, rapidly descending left turn when contact was lost. The wreckage was found about 6 miles south-southwest of AUG. A witness reported seeing the aircraft at low altitude followed by a distant explosion.