- Date
- November 22, 1989, 23:05 local (Nov 23, 1989, 04:05 UTC)
- Place
- Johnstown, PA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1028QPiper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891122046389A
- Case key
- 36586
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain proper airspeed and altitude on an ILS final approach, which allowed the aircraft to descend below the glide path and collide with approach lighting. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, adverse weather conditions, the pilot's decision to fly in known adverse weather (icing) conditions, and structural icing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Drg arrival, the plt was advised that the wx was: 300' ovc, vis 3 mi with frzg rain, lgt drzl & lgt snow. He initiated an ILS rwy 33 apch & enctrd turbc. He elected to make a missed apch & flew back for a 2nd apch. On the 2nd apch, he enctrd turbc again, then noticed the acft was losing speed. The plt said he applied full power & that was the last thing he could remember. The acft crashed when it struck apch lgts about 600' short of the rwy. When the acft was examined the next day, airframe ice was still attached to the leading edge & lower sfc of the wings. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the acft was found. Drg a wx briefing before the flt, the plt had been given advisories for snow & lgt to mod rime icing conditions. The acft was not equipped for flt in known icg conds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1028Q
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7780218
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- A & G Air Of N.J., Inc.
- Registered owner
- Ang Air Of N.J., Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CDW · Fairfield, NJ
- Destination
- JST
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- JST · Johnstown Cambria County, runway 33, 5,486 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,568 total · 162 in this make and model · 2,247 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 21 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JST
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.