Cessna 185 accident near Westport, Massachusetts, August 25, 1998
On August 25, 1998 at about 7:48 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N114LS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westport, Massachusetts. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the airplane and his delayed decision to go-around. Factors related to the accident were the flight instructor's improper inflight decision to land downwind and his inadequate compensation for wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1998 · about 7:48 pm local time
- Place
- Westport, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N114LS · no longer on the register · serial 18503086
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon arriving at the Westport River, the flight instructor directed the pilot to perform a power off landing (simulated engine failure). When it became apparent that the airplane was not going to reach the intended point of landing, a turn to the north was initiated to set up an approach for landing, 'a little quick and with a tailwind.' The airplane impacted the water, and the flight instructor initiated full power to go around, but was unable to maintain control. The airplane impacted the water a second time, cartwheeled, and came to rest inverted in the water. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed no pre-impact malfunctions of the flight controls.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,318 hours in all; 434 in this make and model; 314 in the last 90 days; 106 in the last 30 days; 2,148 as pilot in command; 897 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,969 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 8, 1998; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE S. Wattupa Pond MA at 7:45 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from EWB, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.