Cessna 185E accident near East Haddam, Connecticut, June 23, 1999
On June 23, 1999 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185E, registered N3385L, was substantially damaged in an accident near East Haddam, Connecticut (Goodspeed Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to water in the fuel system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1999 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- East Haddam, Connecticut · Goodspeed Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185E · all 185Es on the register
- Registration
- N3385L · registry record · serial 185-1337
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on its first flight since recent maintenance from a previous accident in which the airplane was submerged under water. As the airplane climbed out the engine began to loose power and the pilot attempted a forced landing to a river. The airplane stalled and impacted the water nose down and sank. A test run of the engine was performed after the accident and no anomalies were noted. Inspection of the fuel injector distributor valve revealed fuel and water coming from under the diaphragm. An airworthiness directive was issued in 1986 to prevent power loss or engine stoppage due to water contamination of fuel system. The AD addressed the potential for trapped water in the wing fuel bladder due to wrinkles. The AD was complied with in 1989. Examination of the left wing revealed inward and upward crushing damage to the leading edge, from the wing root outward. The wing fuel bladder was inspected, and 5 wrinkles were found, about 8-12 inches in length and 1/4 inch high, that extended from the wing root, outward.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,882 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1999; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,265 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D142B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42B at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,120 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from MMK, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.