Cessna 182C accident near New Salem, Massachusetts, August 25, 1983
On August 25, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182C, registered N8596T, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Salem, Massachusetts. 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 25, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Salem, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C · all 182Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8596T · registry record · serial 52496
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH HIGH TENSION WIRES WHILE FLYING AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL. THE PLT LANDED IN THE WATER AND ALL 4 OCCUPANTS EVACUATED SAFELY. THE DITCHING WAS CONTROLLED BUT THE ACFT NOSED OVER AFTER IMPACT. THE PASSENGERS SAID THEY HAD NO TROUBLE UNTIL THEY HEARD A LOUD BANG AND REALIZED THE ACFT HAD CONTACTED THE WIRES. A WITNESS ALSO HEARD THE BANG AND SAW THE ACFT GOING DOWN. AFTER WATER CONTACT TWO OCCUPANTS EVACUATED AND SWAM TO SHORE; TWO WERE PICKED UP BY A BOAT OPERATED BY THE WITNESS.
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
- Flight time: 475 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,385 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORE Orange MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 40,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from ORH, 25 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.
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.