Cessna 182K accident near Ellington, Connecticut, July 13, 1997
On July 13, 1997 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182K, registered N2539R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellington, Connecticut (Ellington airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of speed and distance and his failure to execute a go around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1997 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Ellington, Connecticut · Ellington · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2539R · registry record · serial 18258239
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he overflew the airport and checked the windsock. He said the winds were variable so he planned for a landing on runway 19. He pulled the power to idle as he approached the threshold, but the airplane did not settle onto the 1,800 foot long runway. After the airplane touched down, he indicated that the brakes were unable to stop the airplane on the remaining runway, the airplane overran the end of the runway, and nosed over into a ditch. The pilot reported there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane or engine. The reported winds at the time of the accident were from 280 degrees at 10 knots.
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: 450 hours in all; 247 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,346 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 9, 1997; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWB New Bedford MA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 7B9 CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from BDL, 11 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2539R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ellington Airport · nearest airport
- New Bedford Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Connecticut 522 since 1982 · 68 in the last ten years
- Connecticut 1,612 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD97LA098.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.