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 23rd 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