Beech BE36 accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, July 3, 2003
On July 3, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech BE36, registered N540Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot misjudged speed and distance while landing, which resulted in an overrun. A factor in the accident was a wet runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE36
- Registration
- N540Q · no longer on the register · serial E 173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a circling approach to the 2,501-foot-long asphalt runway. He stated that the airplane touched down within the first 100 feet of the runway, and then hydroplaned off the end. An airport operations manager witnessed the airplane touch down at a high right of speed, about 800 feet beyond the approach end of the runway. The airplane traveled off the end of the runway and struck a fence. The operations manager also noted the weather as: ceiling 300 feet, visibility 1/4 mile, and heavy rain. The reported weather about the time of the accident was: wind from 160 degrees at 9 knots; visibility 1.25 miles; ceiling 300 feet broken, 900 feet overcast; temperature 68 degrees F; dew point 66 degrees F; altimeter 29.86 inches Hg.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,720 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N14 Lumberton NJ
- Destination: BID Block Island RI
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.