Cessna 185F accident near Lake George, New York, August 8, 1982
On August 8, 1982 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N1344Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake George, New York (Lake George airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1982 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lake George, New York · Lake George · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1344Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503477
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT DESCRIBED A NOSE UP PITCH ATTITUDE OF BETWEEN THIRTY AND FORTY-FIVE DEGREES DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER DEPARTING LAKE GEORGE. AT SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO MAKE A DESENDING LEFT TURN TO THE SURFACE OF THE LAKE. THE SUBSEQUENT TOUCHDOWN ON THE LAKE'S SURFACE WAS DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES AS HARD WITH THE AIRCRAFT IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO BOUNCE AND DEPART THE AREA FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE RETURNING FOR A NORMAL 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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake George NY at 1:25 pm
- Destination: FRG Farmingdale NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 181°F (83°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from GFL, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1344Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.