Thorp T-18 accident near East Haddam, Connecticut, October 9, 1983
On October 9, 1983 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Thorp T-18, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N4860S, was substantially damaged in an accident near East Haddam, Connecticut (Goodspeed 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
- October 9, 1983 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- East Haddam, Connecticut · Goodspeed
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thorp T-18, amateur-built · all T-18s on the register
- Registration
- N4860S · no longer on the register · serial 259
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE FIRST APRCH WAS TOO HIGH AND HE WENT AROUND. ON THE SECOND APRCH, AFTER FLARE, THERE WAS A GUST OF WIND FROM THE RIGHT AND THE ACFT LOST LIFT. POWER WAS ADDED TO REDUCE THE SINK RATE, BUT THE ACFT BOUNCED AND SETTLED TO THE RWY. HE REDUCED POWER BUT THE SPEED DID NOT BLEED OFF. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO ROLL TOWARD PARKED ACFT, SO TO AVOID A COLLISION HE TURNED THE ACFT TOWARD THE WATER. THE ACFT CAME TO REST A FEW FEET FROM THE WATER, BUT FLIPPED OVER AS THE MAIN GEAR HIT AN OBJECT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 180 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 23, 1983; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Brookhaven NY at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,118 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
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.