Cessna P210R accident near Block Island, Rhode Island, March 13, 1987
On March 13, 1987 at about 4:44 pm local time, a Cessna P210R, registered N6434A, was destroyed in an accident near Block Island, Rhode Island. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- March 13, 1987 · about 4:44 pm local time
- Place
- Block Island, Rhode Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210R · all P210Rs on the register
- Registration
- N6434A · no longer on the register · serial P21000871
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED FROM THE CONTROLLER'S SCOPE WHILE RECEIVING RADAR VECTORS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS MISSING UNTIL MARCH 20, 1987 WHEN FISHERMEN PULLED PART OF THE WRECKAGE OUT OF OCEAN WATERS NEAR BLOCK ISLAND, RI. THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER, ENGINE FIREWALL, ENTIRE EMPENNAGE AND OUTER WING AREAS WERE NOT RECOVERED. THE 59-YEAR-OLD PILOT WAS IN LEVEL CRUISE FLIGHT AT 16,000 FEET M.S.L. WHILE ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN TO NEW BERN, NC IN THE PREVAILING INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. WEATHER FORECASTS SHOWED THE FREEZING LEVEL TO BE ON OR NEAR THE SURFACE WITH LIGHT TO OCCASIONAL MODERATE RIME ICE BELOW 14,000 FEET M.S.L. THE PILOT HAD 417 FLIGHT HOURS INCLUDING 29 HOURS ACTUAL INSTRUMENT TIME. THE FAILURE TO RECOVER ALL OF THE WRECKAGE PRECLUDED THE SAFETY BOARD FROM MAKING A DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER A FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM, POWERPLANT OR OTHER COMPONENT WAS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 417 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 315 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 1987; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYA Hyannis MA at 4:12 pm
- Destination: EWN New Bern NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from GON, 24 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.