Narragansett Bay – September 28, 1980 

     On September 28, 1980, a single engine Cessna 210, with a lone pilot aboard, left Georgia bound for Newport, Rhode Island.  The 56-year-old pilot was coming to Newport to attend his daughter’s graduation from Naval Officer Candidate School.   

     Shortly after 8:00 p.m. that evening, the aircraft landed at Quonset Point, and the pilot reported he was low on fuel.   The aircraft took off about ten minutes later without refueling, bound for Newport Airport.  At about 8:20 p.m. the pilot radioed that he was now out of gas and would be ditching in the water.   Several witnesses reported seeing  the Cessna crash into the East Passage of Narragansett Bay between Short Point and Hull Cove off Jamestown, and Butterball Rock in Newport.

     Despite an intensive search conducted by the Coast Guard, the missing aircraft could not be located, and the search was eventually called off.  The missing plane and its pilot were found on October 21, 1980 when the fishing trawler Rose Jarvis accidentally snagged the wreckage in its nets near Hull Cove.  The aircraft was badly damaged but still intact.  It was brought to Middletown, Rhode Island, for examination. 

     Sources:

     Providence  Evening Bulletin, “Plane Crash In Bay Reported; Search Fails”, September 29, 1980, page 1     

     Westerly Sun, (RI), “Search For Airplane Continues”, September 30, 1980, page 15

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “Search Ended For Lost Plane, Pilot’s Daughter In OCS Rite”, October 1, 1980, page A-1  

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “Body Of Georgia Flyer And Plane Found In Water Off Jamestown”, October 22, 1980, page A-3

     Providence Evening Bulletin, Photo of aircraft with caption, October 23, 1980, page B-1 

     Westerly Sun, “Pilot Said he Was Out Of Gas”, December 7, 1980, page 31