Cessna A185F accident near Logansport, Indiana, May 5, 1983
On May 5, 1983, a Cessna A185F, registered N533H, was destroyed in an accident near Logansport, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- May 5, 1983
- Place
- Logansport, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N533H · no longer on the register · serial 18502327
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED THE AMPHIBIOUS ACFT, HAD RECEIVED 6.7 HRS DUAL INSTRUCTION & WAS INDORSED FOR SOLO FLT. DURING A X-COUNTRY FROM ELIZABETHTON, TN, HE LANDED AT RICHMOND, KY & PURCHASED 23. 8 GAL OF FUEL. ON THE NEXT LEG TO LAFAYETTE, IN, HE MADE SOME HDG & ALT CHANGES TO AVOID WX. ALSO ON THAT LEG, HE RECALCULATED HIS FUEL CONSUMPTION & ESTIMATED HE HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL TO CONTINUE TO WARSAW, IN. AT LAFAYETTE, HE MADE A MINOR REPAIR, THEN TOOK OFF WITHOUT REFUELING. WHILE EN ROUTE TO WARSAW, THE ENG LOST POWER. THE PLT RESTARTED IT, BUT IT RAN ONLY 2 TO 3 SEC, THEN WOULD NOT RESTART. HE BEGAN AN EMERGENCY, WHEELS-UP LANDING IN A WHEAT FIELD, BUT SAW A POWER LINE & DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SPEEDTO FLY OVER IT. WHILE FLYING UNDER THE WIRES, THE FLOATS HITA BANK & THE PLANE CRASHED. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL TANKS. GASKET MATERIAL WAS FOUND IN A FUEL SCREEN, BUT LATER, THE ENG WAS RUN WITH THE MATERIAL IN THE SCREEN & IT RAN NORMALLY. APRX 145 GAL OF FUEL HAD BEEN USED IN 8.2 HRS OF FLT, WHICH INCLUDED MANY LANDINGS.
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: 73 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,569 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1983; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3HM Lafayett IN
- Destination: Warsaw IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.