Cessna 182L accident near So.Glastonbury, Connecticut, January 3, 1986
On January 3, 1986 at about 6:03 am local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N3349R, was destroyed in an accident near So.Glastonbury, Connecticut (Hartford-Brainard airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 3, 1986 · about 6:03 am local time
- Place
- So.Glastonbury, Connecticut · Hartford-Brainard
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3349R · no longer on the register · serial 18258649
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A VOR INSTRUMENT APCH WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH 250 FT HIGH TERRAIN APPROX 6 MILES SOUTH OF THE ARPT AND APPROX 2 MILES NORTH OF THE VOR/FAF. SHORTLY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT NOTIFIED ATC THAT HE WAS IN TURBULENCE; THEN REPORTED HE WAS CLEAR OF TURBULENCE. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE/ MALFUNCTION. PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS WERE NEGATIVE. FLIGHT TESTS REVEALED SATISFACTORY OPERATION OF NAVAIDS.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SFZ Pawtcket RI at 2:55 pm
- Destination: HFD Hartford CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:33 am from HFD, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.