Narragansett Bay – October 26, 1984
At 6:40 p.m. on the evening of October 26, 1984, a Cessna Skyhawk with a husband and wife aboard left T. F. Green State Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, bound for a small private airport on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay, a distance of only six miles. The weather was overcast and raining at the time, with a cloud ceiling of about 300 feet and 1 mile visibility. By 8:25 p.m. the aircraft was reported as overdue and a search was instituted.
The following day the aircraft was located upside-down in about eight feet of water in the channel that runs between Prudence and Patience Islands. The woman’s body was still inside, however the husband was missing. Divers who made the recovery reported that the pilot’s door was missing, and that the tail section had been torn away.
On November 11, 1984, the body of the missing husband was located along the southern shoreline of Prudence Island.
Sources:
Providence Journal Bulletin, “Search Under Way For Overdue Plane”, October 27, 1984, page A-8
Providence Sunday Journal, “Missing Airplane Found Off Prudence Island”, October 28, 1984, Page A-2
The Sun, (Westerly, R.I.), “One dead, One Missing After Plane Crash In Bay”, October 28, 1984, page 33
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Bay Searches For Pilot, Fisherman Are Suspended”, October 29, 1984, page A-2. (Searchers were also looking for a missing fisherman near the Mt. Hope Bridge.)
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Local Flyers Puzzled By Crash Of Couple On 6-Mile Hop Home”, October 30, 1984, page C-4
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Body Washed Up At Prudence Island Identified By Family As Lost Pilot”, November 13, 1984, page A-4
