- Date
- May 21, 1985, 10:55 local (14:55 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Island, NY
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N756ZMCessna TR-182
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850521018879A
- Case key
- 35812
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flt had been on a local sightseeing tour over the niagara falls. The plt then stated that he was going to give his pax a demonstration of how fast the acft appears to be traveling when it is close to the water. The plt then began a left descending turn over the niagara river. The right front seat pax stated that he turned in his seat to speak to his wife & the next thing he knew, he was in the water. Witnesses in the area observed the acft in a left descending turn over the river which continued until the left wing struck the water & the acft cartwheeled disintegrating on impact. The surviving pax & witnesses stated the eng sounded normal until impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N756ZM
- Reported as
- Cessna TR-182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R18201203
- Airframe hours
- 1,277
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-L3C5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jack Baugh, Clarence Zingg
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 8, 1984 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- IAG · Niagara Falls, NY
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAG, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.