Cessna 185B accident near Orange, Massachusetts, September 18, 1983
On September 18, 1983 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185B, registered N11LP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orange, Massachusetts (Orange 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 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
- September 18, 1983 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Orange, Massachusetts · Orange
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185B · all 185Bs on the register
- Registration
- N11LP · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE PLT USED A GRASS LANDING AREA ON THE NORTH SIDE OF RWY 32/14. THE WIND HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN FROM 290 DEG, BUT HAD SWUNG TO 350 DEG. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE LANDED IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE ON THE MAIN GEAR, THEN REDUCED THE THROTTLE TO IDLE. BRAKES WERE APPLIED, AND AFTER ROLLING ABOUT 400 T0 500 FT, THE ACFT BEGAN TO NOSE OVER. FULL NOSE UP ELEVATOR WAS APPLIED & BRAKING WAS DISCONTINUED, BUT THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: 800 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 670 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 3 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N11LP 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.