Cessna 172N accident near Westerly, RI
On May 18, 2026, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Westerly, RI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 18, 2026
- Place
- Westerly, RI
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.353°N, 71.811°W
- NTSB ID
- 20260518203012
NTSB summary
On May 18, 2026, about 1205 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N733CP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Westerly, Rhode Island. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 post-maintenance flight. The operator reported that the pilot was conducting a post-maintenance test flight to verify proper operation of the alternator. A local police department officer saw the airplane flying extremely low when it banked hard to the point where the wings were almost at a ninety-degree angle and the airplane was losing altitude. He said the airplane appeared to be operating at an extremely slow speed and in a manner of seconds it descended behind the tree line. The officer found the airplane crashed in a farm field and leaking fuel. Another witness saw the airplane and said it looked like it was going slower than normal. The airplane turned right and appeared to keep rolling right as if the wind caught it. It appeared to keep rolling until it was almost upside down and the witness could see the bottom of the airplane as it dove toward the field. The witness went to the accident site where he could smell fuel from the airplane. A third witness was sitting in his parked car and saw the airplane begin a turn to the right and heard the engine “throttle up.” He also stated that when the airplane began the turn to the right it looked like the wind took the airplane and made it roll right. It continued to roll and nosed down toward the ground, behind the trees. The witness heard the crash and dr
More accidents in RI
- Piper PA-28R-200, Jul 5, 2006
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Browse: Rhode Island · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
