Cessna 172N accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, September 14, 1985
On September 14, 1985, a Cessna 172N, registered N1423E, was destroyed in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- September 14, 1985
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1423E · no longer on the register · serial 17270992
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPARTED LONG ISLAND ON A VFR FLT PLAN FOR BLOCK ISLAND. THE PLT DID NOT CLOSE THE FLT PLAN AFTER ARRIVAL AT BLOCK ISLAND AND DEPARTED BLOCK ISLAND WITHOUT REFILING A FLT PLAN. THE FLT DEPARTED BLOCK ISLAND AT NIGHT TO THE EAST OVER THE OCEAN AND HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED. A WITNESS ON THE ISLAND SAW WHAT WAS BELIEVED TO BE ACFT LIGHTS GO INTO THE OCEAN THE EVENING THE ACFT DEPARTED. THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON A FISHING VESSEL RECOVERED A WHEEL ASSEMBLY THAT WAS BROKENOFF THE ACFT. BOTH ACFT AND OCCUPANTS HAVE NOT BEEN LOCATED.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 180 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,591 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 22, 1985; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: BID Block Island RI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.