Piper PA-28-181 accident near Fishers Island, New York, August 6, 1983
On August 6, 1983 at about 1:20 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N6877J, was destroyed in an accident near Fishers Island, New York (Elizabeth Field). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- August 6, 1983 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Fishers Island, New York · Elizabeth Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N6877J · no longer on the register · serial 28-76990418
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD CALLED HIS HOME BASE & WAS TOLD THAT FOG WAS BEGINNING TO MOVE SHOREWARD & THAT THE INTENDED DESTINATION, (WATERFORD, CT) WOULD NOT REMAIN VFR FOR LONG. THE PLTS OF N6877J & ANOTHER ACFT CHOSE TO DEPART IMMEDIATELY. BEFORE ARRIVING, FOG HAD MOVED IN, SO THEY ELECTED TO DIVERT TO FISHERS ISLAND, NY. DURING THEIR ARRIVAL TO FISHERS ISLAND, THE PLT OF N6877J WAS LEADING. IT WAS A DARK NIGHT, BUT THE PLT OF THE FOLLOWING ACFT ESTIMATED THAT THE VISIBILITY IN THAT AREA WAS APRX 15 MI. WHILE THE PLT OF THE 2ND ACFT WAS STILL AT 3000 FT, HE OBSERVED N6877J ON A 1 MI BASE LEG FOR RWY 19 WHEN IT CRASHED. HE STATED THAT THE ACFT APPEARED TO DO A CARTWHEEL ON THE WATER WHEN IT IMPACTED. TWO ACFT WHEELS & THE PLTS BODY WERE RECOVERED, BUT THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS NOT FOUND. THE ARPT WAS EQUIPPED WITH MEDIUM INTENSITY RWY LIGHTS, BUT THERE WERE NO VASI LIGHTS INSTALLED & NO INSTRUMENT APPROACH FOR THE ARPT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 639 hours in all; 439 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 504 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,423 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1983; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BID Block Island RI at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 7B8 Waterford CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,850 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from GON, 4 miles away
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.