Cessna T188C accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, March 8, 1982
On March 8, 1982 at about 6:17 pm local time, a Cessna T188C, registered N9374J, was destroyed in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1982 · about 6:17 pm local time
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T188C · all T188Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9374J · no longer on the register · serial T18803798T
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A FERRY FLIGHT APPROACHING THE NANTUCKET VOR THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TURNED BACK TOWARDS BLOCK ISLAND AT WHICH TIME THE FUEL PRESSURE BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE AND DECREASE ALONG WITH THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE. THE PILOT PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY SYSTEM FUEL CHECK BUT THE ENGINE EVENTUALLY LOST ALL POWER AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DITCHED.
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: 4,904 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 4,759 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520T (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: European Marketing Company
The flight
- Departed from: Newport News VA at 10:37 am
- Destination: Gander, Newfoun
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 118°F (48°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.