Cessna 182R accident near Westerly, Rhode Island, September 9, 1992
On September 9, 1992 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N5533N, was destroyed in an accident near Westerly, Rhode Island. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE ON THE PILOT TO MAKE THE FLIGHT, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPEREINCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1992 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Westerly, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5533N · no longer on the register · serial 18267775
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED 79 YEAR OLD PILOT RECEIVED TWO PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING. HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PILOT DEPARTED WITH HIS WIFE TO ATTEND A FAMILY GATHERING IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, WITH A PLANNED STOP IN WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND, TO PICK UP RADIO EQUIPMENT. SEGMENTS OF THE FLIGHT WERE OVER WATER. DURING THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT WAS IN RADIO CONTACT WITH GROTON-NEW LONDON TOWER. HE INDICATED ON HIS LAST TRANSMISSION THAT HE WAS DESCENDING INTO WESTERLY. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT REACH THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AFTER DEBRIS WAS FOUND BY A FISHERMAN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED 5 DAYS LATER IN ABOUT 50 FEET OF WATER ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF WESTERLY AT BLOCK ISLAND STATE AIRPORT, AN AIRPORT ATTENDANT REPORTED A LOW CEILING AND FOG, WHICH PREVENTED INBOUND AND OUTBOUND FLIGHT TO WESTERLY.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,596 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,069 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 29, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FOK Westhampton Bch NY at 1:00 pm
- Destination: WST Westerly RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from GON, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
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.