- Date
- July 30, 1988, 05:03 local (09:03 UTC)
- Place
- No. Kingstown, RI
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N19699Cessna 172L
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880730071549A
- Case key
- 36196
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the boston center controller to adequately understand the pilot-in-command's request and to assess the gravity of the situation.
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 departed wilmington, DE, on an IFR flt plan en route to block island. According to the plt, as he passed the hampton VOR he saw fog obscuring the ground. Upon reaching the destination, boston center cleared the acft for the apch to block island. The plt stated he was unable to shoot the apch due to low fuel and requested assistance to a clear area or to an ILS apch. Boston center vectored the acft to the groton arpt where the plt made at least four attempts to locate the arpt. The acft was then vectored to westerly, where once again the arpt could not be located due to wx. The acft was being vectored to providence when fuel exhaustion was experienced and the acft was ditched in the narraganset bay.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19699
- Reported as
- Cessna 172L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 60681
- Airframe hours
- 2,020
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stephen A. Yarnell
- Registered owner
- Stephen, A Yarnall
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 1988 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- ILG · Wilmington, DE
- Destination
- BID · Block Island, RI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PVO · Providence
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 320 total · 205 in this make and model · 200 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PVD, 6 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.