Cessna 185F accident near Rochester, Massachusetts, October 9, 1994
On October 9, 1994 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Cessna 185F, registered N53074, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rochester, Massachusetts. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadeqaute calculation of fuel and inadeqaute inflight decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1994 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Rochester, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F · all 185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N53074 · no longer on the register · serial 18502359
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS APPROACHING THE POND FOR A LANDING IN THE FLOAT-EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO GLIDE TO THE POND, AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES DURING THE FORCED LANDING. THE FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AND FOUND 1 GALLON OF FUEL IN THE LEFT TANK AND NO FUEL IN THE RIGHT TANK. THE ENGINE WAS PLACED IN A TEST STAND AND STARTED. THE FAA INSPECTOR STATED IN HIS REPORT: 'THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND RAN FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AT VARIOUS POWER SETTINGS...WITH NO APPARENT MALFUNCTIONS.'
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: 1,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,897 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1993; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Nantucket MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.