Accident
On a dark (moonless) night, a non-scheduled domestic passenger flight departed Block Island, Rhode Island, bound for Westerly, Rhode Island, with seven passengers, the pilot, and two dogs. The aircraft crashed along the route in Block Island Sound, approximately 3 to 5 miles northwest of the island, an area lacking surface visibility references.
Wreckage and Injuries
The main wreckage was later found in 130 feet of water. Additional wreckage and the bodies of the pilot, three passengers, and two dogs were recovered. The aircraft was badly damaged during impact: the left wing separated outboard of the left engine, and the forward part of the aircraft sustained extensive damage. However, no preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. All eight occupants were killed.
Pilot and Weather
The pilot held commercial and instructor ratings and was a part-time employee. He was on medication for Lyme disease, but no physiological problem was found that would have resulted in the accident. At approximately 1720 EST, a pilot report (PIREP) indicated a broken cloud layer at 10,000 feet. Another pilot flying at about the same time reported scattered clouds above 10,000 feet, visibility over 10 miles, wind westerly at 15 to 25 mph, and light to moderate turbulence. A SIGMET (Golf 4) warned of moderate to occasionally severe turbulence below 6,000 feet and the potential of low-level wind shear. The accident occurred along a bird migratory route.
Probable Cause
The aircraft crashed for an undetermined reason, during an overwater flight on a dark (moonless) night under a cloud layer. A SIGMET was in effect warning of moderate to occasionally severe turbulence below 6,000 feet and the potential of low-level wind shear.