Cessna R182 accident near New Fairfield, Connecticut, May 24, 2005
On May 24, 2005 at about 3:19 pm local time, a Cessna R182, registered N756PN, was destroyed in an accident near New Fairfield, Connecticut. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the aluminum-clad, number two connecting rod bearings, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. A factor was the relatively short forced landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2005 · about 3:19 pm local time
- Place
- New Fairfield, Connecticut · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N756PN · no longer on the register · serial R18201125
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight, at 4,000 feet, when the engine lost oil pressure. The pilot reported the difficulty to air traffic control, was given vectors to an airport 10 miles to the south, and cleared for a descent. About 2 minutes after the pilot's initial call, he reported the engine had seized. Unable to reach the airport, the pilot attempted the forced landing in a sports field of relatively short length. The airplane glided low over the field, but continued beyond the end where it hit trees. The airplane then impacted the ground, and a postcrash fire ensued. A subsequent examination of the engine revealed that the aluminum-clad bearings from the number two connecting rod had failed, and that the rod beam and cap had separated.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,150 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2004; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MAL Malone NY
- Destination: ISP Islip NY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.64 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from DXR, 7 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.