# Incident 19980526037109I: Cessna A185E, East Haddam, CT, May 26, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 26, 1998, 14:07 local time
- Place: East Haddam, CT
- Airport: Goodspeed Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.4457° N, 72.4556° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GOODSPEED (42B), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4457&lon=-72.4556&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3385L, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3385L) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna A185E (registry code 2072818, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-a185e) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA A185E
- Reported engine: CONT IO520D
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 955 total, 430 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980526037109I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-5) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED GOODSPEED AIRPORT, (42B) RUNWAY 32, CLIMBED OUT NORTH UP RIVER WITH WALTER A. JOHNSON AS (PIC), ALTON FITZGERALD (CFI) IN RT. FWD. SEAT, AND JOSEPH RIZZO IN THE RIGHT REAR SEAT. AFTER CLEARING THE BRIDGE AND POWER LINES THEY SET UP FOR A RIVER LANDING STRAIGHT AHEAD. UPON WATER TOUCH TOUCHDOWN THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN DECELERATION, THE FLOATS BEGAN TO SINK NOSE FIRST AND WATER BEGAN ENTERING THE COCKPIT THRU THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. AS THE AIRCRAFT TAIL WENT VERTICAL ALL SOULS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND WERE PICKED UP BY A WAITING BOAT. THE AIRCRAFT WENT INVERTED AND SANK WITH THE FLOATS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED. THE LANDING GEAR WAS NEVER RETRACTED AND REMAINED IN THE DOWN POSITION.

## Other reports on N3385L (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19990623007549A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990623007549A), Jun 23, 1999: Cessna A185E (N3385L), East Haddam, CT, Substantial damage. Acft was on a maintenance test flight when it crashed on take-off from rwy 32 into the Connecticut river and was destroyed, other circumstances are unknown.…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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