Cessna 182P accident near Oswego, New York, June 16, 2001
On June 16, 2001 at about 9:55 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N58594, was destroyed in an accident near Oswego, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate altitude clearance above water while conducting low level flight maneuvers. A factor related to the accident was the pilot's impairment of judgment due to alcohol consumption.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2001 · about 9:55 am local time
- Place
- Oswego, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N58594 · no longer on the register · serial 182-62165
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a friend of the pilot, he and the pilot had entered a nightclub about midnight, and "had a few drinks...probably 5 or so." After leaving the nightclub about 0300, the friend and pilot drove back to the friend's home. About 0500, the pilot decided to fly the airplane back to its home base. While en route, witnesses observed the airplane "circling charter fishing boats 2 or 3 times at low level, approximately 2-3 feet above the water." During the last low pass, the airplane made a "sharp" left turn and the left wing impacted the water. The airplane broke into two pieces and sank in 150 feet of water. The pilot's remains were recovered two days after the accident. According to the Medical Examiner's autopsy report, the pilot's blood alcohol level was reported as 0.07%. According to the FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory Final Forensic Toxicology Fatal Accident report, the amount of ethanol found in the pilot blood was "59 mg/dL" (0.059 %). These levels exceed the limit published by the FAA in FAR 91.17, which stated in part "No person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft... while having .04 percent by weight or more alcohol in the blood." The FAR also prohibited a pilot from flying "within 8 hours after the consumption of any alcoholic beverage."
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 344 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 24, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,103 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 2001; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 51NY Holley NY at 9:00 am
- Destination: ROC Rochester NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 am from FZY, 6 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.
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.