Aircraft Disappearance | New England Aviation History

Missing Aircraft – July 12, 1982

November 15, 2018

Missing Aircraft – July 12, 1982

At about 12:30 p.m. on July 12, 1982, a single-engine Grumman American, (N5637L), left Suffolk County Airport on Long Island, New York, bound for Fall River, Massachusetts. There were two men aboard: the pilot, Stephen A. Weiss, (31), of East Providence, R.I., and a passenger, Raymond Mooney, (30), of Lindenhurst, N.Y.

The weather was poor, with low clouds and 400 foot ceilings. Shortly after take off the pilot made a routine radio call to air traffic controllers, and this was the last transmission received by the aircraft.

The aircraft never arrived at Fall River, however, it wasn’t reported as missing until July 14th. The following day an intensive air-sea search mission was implemented. At times, foul weather hampered search efforts.

The aircraft had enough fuel for four hours of flight.

An oil slick was spotted off Montauk, Long Island, but there are no reports that it was connected to the missing aircraft.

One Long Island woman reported hearing a low flying plane on the 12th.

The search involved the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, local and state authorities, as well as hundreds of civilian volunteers, but no trace of the missing plane or its occupants was found.

The search was called off on July 21st.

Sources:

Providence Evening Bulletin, “Air, Sea Search Fails To Find trace Of Missing R.I. Pilot And Friend”, July 16, 1982, page C-3

The Sun, (Westerly, RI), “Light Plane Missing Off Coast, July 16, 1982, page 1

Providence Journal, “Searchers Scour Sea, Coast For Plane Flown By R.I. Man”, July 17, 1982, page A-5

Providence Evening Bulletin, “100 Searchers Fail To Find Missing Plane”, July 19, 1982, page A-2

Providence Evening Bulletin, “FAA Hit For delay In reporting Plane Missing”, July 20, 1982, page A-8

Providence Evening Bulletin, “Search For Missing Plane May End Today”, July 21, 1982, page A-8

Providence Evening Bulletin, “Search For Missing Plane Ends”, July 22, 1982

Providence Journal Bulletin, “FAA Workers Face Sanctions For Missing Plane”, August 7, 1982, page A-5

Missing Aircraft – April 19, 1980

March 24, 2015

MISSING AIRCRAFT – April 19, 1980

Aircraft: Cessna 150, Registration N19593

At 9:00 a.m., on April 19, 1980, a Cessna 150 left Bayport Airdrome on Long Island, New York, for a three-leg navigational training flight to Newport, Rhode Island, then to Oxford, Connecticut, and back to Bayport. The pilot was 55-year-old Rose Heinlen, a student pilot from Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y. with less than 60 hours of flight time. Somewhere between Long Island and Newport she and the Cessna disappeared and have not been seen since. No distress calls were received.

Civil Air Patrol wings from New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard participated in the search. 25 aircraft of all types searched the waters from Montauk, Long Island, to Martha’s Vineyard, including waters along the coasts of three states.

One area of focus was Narragansett Bay north of the Mount Hope Bridge, where it was reported that an oil slick had been sighted on the water. A Coast Guard vessel sent to investigate found only a wooden raft that was not connected to the missing plane.

One woman reported that she had seen an airplane resembling a Cessna flying only ten feet off the water of Narragansett Bay on the day of the disappearance. Three fishermen later corroborated this, but nothing was found.

Part of the investigation revealed that a steady 20 to 30 knot wind had been blowing at the time of the flight which could have pushed the aircraft as much as 300 degrees off course towards Cape Cod and the islands, and Mrs. Heinlen may not have been aware of this.

On April 23^rd it was reported that Mrs. Heinlin may have communicated with another pilot via radio between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. stating she was lost. The revelation came about after a Rhode Island pilot reported hearing a radio conversation between a woman and another pilot. The woman stated she was lost, and the pilot was attempting to give her directions. Unfortunately, the pilot giving directions was never identified.

As of this time the case remains open.

Sources:

Providence Journal, “4-state Search For Small Plane Centers Briefly In Touisset Area”, April 22, 1980, Pg. A-3

Providence Journal, “Lost Pilot May Have Sought Directions”, April 23, 1980, Pg. B-13

Providence Evening Bulletin, “CAP Widens Search For Lost Cessna”, April 22, 1980, page A-6

NTSB Brief – NYC80FAMS4