Piper PA-28-161 accident near Stonington, Connecticut, July 25, 1989
On July 25, 1989 at about 2:36 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N29216, was destroyed in an accident near Stonington, Connecticut (Westerly State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (DARK NIGHT & FOG) AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1989 · about 2:36 am local time
- Place
- Stonington, Connecticut · Westerly State
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N29216 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7916421
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE PLT OBTAINED WX INFO. NO WX RPRT WAS AVAILABLE FOR THE DEP ARPT, BUT THE DESTN (HARTFORD, CT) WAS RPRTD AS CLEAR. THE PLT SAID HE WAS INFORMED ON UNICOM FREQ THAT THERE WAS ONLY GROUND FOG IN RHODE ISLAND, WHICH SHOULDNOT HAVE INTERFERED WITH HIS FLT TO HARTFORD. AFTER PREFLIGHTING THE ACFT, HE 'OBSERVED THE STARS DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AND CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS JUST GROUND FOG.' ALSO, THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT HAD CLIMBED TO 200 FT MSL WHEN HE SUDDENLY REALIZED THE DENSITY OF THE FOG WAS THICKER THAN RPRTD OR ANTICIPATED. (THE ARPT ELEV WAS 81 FT.) HE SAID HE THEN EXPERIENCED VERTIGO (SPATIAL DISORIENTATION) & LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT THE TOPS OF TREES & CRASHED IN THE PAWCATUCK RIVER. AS THE ACFT SANK, THE OCCUPANTS EGRESSED, THEN SWAM TO A DOCK WHERE THEY RCVD HELP.
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: 90 hours in all; 34 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,855 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 310 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Westerly RI at 2:40 pm
- Destination: HFD Hartford CT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 25, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.