Cessna 340A accident near Pawtucket, Rhode Island, November 7, 1996
On November 7, 1996 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N36JM, was destroyed in an accident near Pawtucket, Rhode Island (North Central airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to comply with the published instrument approach procedure, by continuing the ILS approach below the decision height, rather than performing a missed approach; and his failure to attain a proper touchdown point for the continued landing. Factors relating to the accident were: weather below approach minimums, wet runway, and hydroplaning conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1996 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pawtucket, Rhode Island · North Central
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N36JM · no longer on the register · serial 0749
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting the localizer approach to runway 15 when the aircraft overran the runway and struck an obstacle. According to the pilot, a loss of power occurred in both engines as he attempted to do a missed approach, and the airspeed subsequently decreased from 105 to 80 knots. The pilot reported that he pushed the nose over to avoid a stall, broke out of the clouds over the mid-point of the runway, landed long and continued off the end of the runway into terrrain and a tower structure. A witness reported the 'aircraft broke out of the clouds just above the trees north of runway 5 and west of runway 15. Reportedly, the aircraft was being banked from a right to left to get aligned with runway 5, flaps appeared to be up, and the gear was down. The witness said the engines sounded to be at idle and at high rpm, and the aircraft appeared to be 50 feet above the ground at midfield when it went out of sight behind hangar.' The weather observed at the time of the accident was in part: ceiling 100 feet overcast, visibility 0.5 mile with fog and rain. The published landing minimums for the approach was ceiling 400 feet and visibility 0.75 mile. Recorded radar data of the flight indicated a descent below the minimum descent altitude at a constant airspeed. Both engines started immediately and ran during a postaccident check of the aircraft.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,213 hours in all; 153 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,128 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,058 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1996; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ACK Nantucket MA at 1:25 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KSF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.