Cessna 402C accident near Boston, Massachusetts, June 30, 1984
On June 30, 1984 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N120PB, was destroyed in an accident near Boston, Massachusetts (General Edward Lawrence airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- June 30, 1984 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts · General Edward Lawrence
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N120PB · no longer on the register · serial 402C0473
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, THE FLT WAS CLEARED FOR AN ILS/DME APCH TO RWY 27. WHILE ON THE APCH, THE ACFT CRASHED IN THE OCEAN ABOUT 2.7 MI EAST OF THE RWY THRESHOLD. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE WAS MAKING THE APCH, USING INSTRUMENTS, & LANDED SHORT FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. HE RECEIVED A SERIOUS HEAD INJURY, BUT WAS RESCUED BY FISHERMEN WHO HEARD THE ACFT CRASH AND WENT TO WHERE THEY HEARD THE VOICES OF THE VICTIMS IN THE FOG. THE 0835 WX AT BOSTON WAS IN PART: PARTIAL OBSCURATION, 25,000 FT OVERCAST, 4 MI VISIBILITY WITH FOG & HAZE, WIND FROM 140 DEG AT 7 KTS. OTHER PLTS REPORTED LOW CEILINGS & A FOG BANK IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,336 hours in all; 130 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 1,979 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 12, 1984; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,350 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVC Provincetown MA
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:20 pm from BOS, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.