Cessna 185 accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, October 23, 1985
On October 23, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 185, registered N8475Q, was destroyed in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 23, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185 · all 185s on the register
- Registration
- N8475Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503714
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLOATPLANE EXPERIENCED A PWR LOSS ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD VOR. THE ENG MANIFOLD PRESSURE DROPPED AND THE RPM BECAME ERRATIC. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENG USING PRIMARY AND EMERGENCY FUEL PUMPS BUT THE ENG WOULD NOT RESTART. THE PLT CONTACTED SUFFOLK, MARTHA VINEYARD AND BRIDGEPORT TOWERS GIVING HIS LOCATION AND ADVISING THEN OF THE DITCHING. THE ACFT SANK IN THE WATER AND WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: 1,858 hours in all; 325 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 772 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1985; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FOK Brookhaven NY at 9:30 pm
- Destination: Falmouth MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.