Cessna A185F accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, August 26, 1995
On August 26, 1995 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna A185F, registered N4944E, was destroyed in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to touch down a sufficient distance from shore, and his delay in aborting the landing. In addition, the pilot exceeded the airplane's weight and balance limits which reduced the airplane's performance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 1995 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N4944E · no longer on the register · serial 18503915
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight had departed with three passengers and full fuel. After a 25 minute flight, the pilot made a water landing. The airplane touched down about 400 feet from the shore line, heading towards land. The landing was aborted about 300 feet from shore, short of rocks and swimmers. The airplane leveled off at 15 feet, then pitched up to clear a building and wires. It cleared the first set of wires and settled downward. The airplane then struck a second set of wires, an automobile, and collided with a building. The airplane's calculated landing weight was 3,790 pounds. The airplane manufacturer's maximum takeoff and landing gross weight, and performance charts for water operations, were based upon 3,100 pounds. A supplemental type certificate increased the airplane's maximum water operation takeoff and landing weight to 3,350 pounds. The pilot's operating handbook charts listed a water landing distance of 610 feet, and a water takeoff distance of 930 feet, at a gross weight of 3,100 pounds. The calculated center of gravity was forward of the airplane's limits.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 444 hours in all; 131 in this make and model; 99 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 332 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,555 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 13, 1995; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550D(1) (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HTO East Hampton NY at 4:50 pm
- Destination: NONE RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:14 pm from BID, 1 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.
Other NTSB records under N4944E 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.