- Date
- March 13, 1987, 11:44 local (16:44 UTC)
- Place
- Block Island, RI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6434ACessna P210R
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870313006399A
- Case key
- 30489
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 aircraft disappeared from the controller's scope while receiving radar vectors. The aircraft was missing until March 20, 1987 when fishermen pulled part of the wreckage out of ocean waters near Block Island, RI. The engine and propeller, engine firewall, entire empennage and outer wing areas were not recovered. The 59-year-OLD pilot was in level cruise flight at 16,000 feet m.s.l. while on an instrument flight plan to new bern, NC in the prevailing instrument meteorological conditions. Weather forecasts showed the freezing level to be on or near the surface with light to occasional moderate rime ice below 14,000 feet m.s.l. the pilot had 417 flight hours including 29 hours actual instrument time. The failure to recover all of the wreckage precluded the safety board from making a determination as to whether a failure or malfunction of the aircraft structure, flight control system, powerplant or other component was related to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6434A
- Reported as
- Cessna P210R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P21000871
- Airframe hours
- 27
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- W. Dewire, III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 1987 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- HYA · Hyannis, MA
- Destination
- EWN · New Bern, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 417 total · 30 in this make and model · 315 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GON, 24 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.