Cessna 182P accident near Laurel, Maryland, March 11, 1985
On March 11, 1985 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N52581, was substantially damaged in an accident near Laurel, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1985 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Laurel, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52581 · no longer on the register · serial 18262687
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A RETURN FLIGHT FROM MORRISVILLE,VT THE ACFT LOST PWR AND THE PIC ELECTED TO LAND IN A CUL-DE-SAC IM A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT CONTAINED LESS THAN 1 GALLON OF FUEL. BOTH PLTS HAD DPTD PXT 4 DAYS PRIOR AND STOPPED ENROUTE TO PICK UP THEIR WIVES. FIVE GALLONS OF FUEL HAD BEEN DRAINED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TO INSURE THE PROPER WT AND BALANCE. AFTER ARRIVING AT MVL THE PILOTS READ THE GUAGES AND CALCULATED FUEL COMSUMPTION AND ELECTED TO ADD 40 GALLONS OF FUEL. THEY NEVER PHYSICALLY CHECKED THE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE TANKS BFR DEPARTING MVL. FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED ABT 3 HRS LTR FUEL GUAGES WERE ON EMPTY WELL BFR THAT TIME,PLT COULD HAVE LANDED BFR EXHAUSTING THE FUEL.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: military, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 470 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 253 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,507 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 15, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MVL Morrisville VT at 2:23 pm
- Destination: CGS College Park MD
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 14,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from BWI, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N52581 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.