Douglas K. Reed was 71 when he was last heard from on July 2, 1997, in Stonington, Maine. He was aboard a Piper PA-28R-180, registration N3896T, returning from a sightseeing trip with his wife, Beryl Reed, and two friends. Witnesses near Northport and Islesboro heard and saw the airplane at dusk, observed a sharp right turn, then a sudden loud sound as the aircraft descended into Penobscot Bay at about 8:36 p.m. EDT.

Searchers recovered scattered debris, including right main landing gear, a seat marked with the aircraft registration, a purse, a wallet, charts, and insulation, but the main wreckage was not recovered. Two occupants were recovered fatally injured; Douglas Reed and his wife Beryl are listed as unrecovered and remain in missing-person records. The NTSB attributed the accident to the pilot’s flight into adverse weather with loss of control, noting fog and the pilot’s lack of an instrument rating as factors.

If anyone had contact with Douglas before July 2, 1997, or has information about the flight or debris from Penobscot Bay, please come forward.