Amateur-built DHC-6 accident near Providence, Rhode Island, February 21, 1982
On February 21, 1982 at about 8:33 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-6, registered N127PM, was destroyed in an accident near Providence, Rhode Island. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed, 10 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 1982 · about 8:33 pm local time
- Place
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 10 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-6
- Registration
- N127PM · registry record · serial 105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APRX 15 MIN AFT TKOF, LGT ICG WAS NOTED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE AIRCREW ACTIVATED THE WINDSHIELD WASHER/DEICE SYS WHICH USED ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL. HOWEVER, ONLY A LITTLE DEICING FLUID WAS NOTED ON EITHER SIDE. THE SYS WAS ACTIVATED AGAIN. AFT HLDG THE SW SVRL SECONDS, THE ODOR OF ALCOHOL WAS NOTED.DEICING PROC WAS STOPPED, BUT SHORTLY THEREAFTER, GRAY-WHITESMOKE BGN COMING FM BLO THE FLOOR. THE AIRCREW BGN DIVERTING. THICK SMOKE FILLED THE CABIN & FIRE BROKE OUT ON THE FLOORBTN THE PLTS AS THE ACFT DSCNDD BLO THE CLDS. THE CO-PLT TRIED TO USE 1 FIRE EXTINGUISHER, BUT IT WAS TOO HOT. NO ONE ATMTD TO USE THE CABIN EXTINGUISHER. CRSH LNDG WAS MADE ON A FRZN LAKE. ALL BUT 1 OCCUPANT WERE EVCUATED BFR THE PLANE WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED TYGON TUBING WAS USED IN THE DEICE SYS. AFT CONTACT WITH ALCOHOL, THE TUBING HARDENS, BCMS MISHAPED AT CONNECTION POINTS & OFTEN RESULTED IN LEAKS. LEAKS WERE REPAIRED BY RMVG ENDS & REATTACHING. A REPAIR WAS MADE ON 2/18/82 IAW DEHAVILLAND PROC. FIRE EXT LCTNS NOT SUF MARKED OR NOTED ON SEATBACK SAFETY CRDS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 2,700 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,579 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W PT6A-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pilgrim Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: C Groton CT at 3:05 pm
- Destination: C Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 104°F (40°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 8 | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA82AA016.