Cessna 182 accident near Beechhurst, New York, October 4, 2020
On October 4, 2020 at about 7:05 pm local time, a 1975 Cessna 182, registered N6506M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Beechhurst, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s selection of a landing area that provided inadequate distance from obstacles and his subsequent decision to abort the landing with inadequate takeoff distance available, which resulted in a high-speed collision with a concrete bulkhead. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind, which degraded the airplane’s performance and handling characteristics.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2020 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Beechhurst, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 P, built 1975 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N6506M · registry record · serial 18263735
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the amphibious float-equipped airplane was landing on a river near his home. The pilot reported that the airplane bounced after touchdown and he applied full throttle to abort the landing, during which the airplane veered left and impacted a concrete bulkhead. The pilot-rated passenger reported that, during touchdown, the pilot attempted to avoid a boat and the airplane veered left. The floats contacted the wake from the boat, resulting in a bounce, after which the pilot applied power to abort the landing. The pilot and passenger both reported that, had the pilot reduced engine power to idle instead of attempting to take off, the airplane would have collided with the bulkhead at a slower speed. Surveillance video captured the airplane travelling at high speed, in a nose-high attitude, with both pontoons in the water when it collided with the bulkhead. The pontoons were generating white foam, spray, and a noticeable wake. A witness on a nearby boat reported that the airplane was landing with a 10- to 15-knot tailwind and a weather observation from the nearest airport indicated a 10-knot quartering tailwind for the pilot’s chosen landing direction. Based on the available information, it is most likely that the pilot selected a landing area where tailwind conditions prevailed and that provided inadequate distance from obstacles (boats and the concrete bulkhead). His subsequent decision to abort the landing with insufficient takeoff distance available resulted in a high-speed collision with the concrete bulkhead. It is likely that the tailwind/quartering tailwind conditions contributed to the accident by increasing the airplane’s touchdown speed, decreasing its directional stability upon touchdown, and increasing the takeoff distance after the pilot chose to abort the landing.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,850 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,693.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 2020
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550D (piston); 641 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWV Shirley NY at 6:35 pm
- Runway 09
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from KLGA, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLGA 041851Z 05010KT 10SM SCT055 BKN120 BKN200 BKN260 18/07 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP220 T01830067
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.