Piper PA-32-300 accident near Quincy, Illinois, April 2, 1988
On April 2, 1988 at about 4:52 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N32076, was destroyed in an accident near Quincy, Illinois (Quincy Muni-Baldwin Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DESCENT BELOW THE DH BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND DURING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER RATHER THEN PROCEEDING TO A SUITABLE ALTERNATE DESTINATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 1988 · about 4:52 am local time
- Place
- Quincy, Illinois · Quincy Muni-Baldwin Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N32076 · registry record · serial 75-40013
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG A NIGHT ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR AN ILS RWY 4 APCH AFTER BEING ADZD THE SKY WAS PARTIALLY OBSCURED, MEASUREDCEILING 200' OVERCAST, VIS 1/2 MI WITH FOG, WIND 080 AT 17 KTS. MINS FOR THE APCH WERE 200' CEILING & 1/2 MI VIS. THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO BEGIN THE APCH FROM A 7 MI DME ARC. AS THE ACFT DESCENDED ON THE APCH, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST & THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO CONTACT QUINCY RADIO. AS THE PLT RPRTD PASSING THE QUINCY VOR (JUST SHORT OF THE ILS OUTER MARKER/FINAL APCH FIX), THE FSS SPECIALIST ADVISED HIM THE VIS HAD DROPPED TO 3/8 MI. AFTER THE PLT RPRTD PASSING THE OUTER MARKER, RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST, EXCEPT FOR THE SOUND OF A KEYED MIKE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED WELL LEFT OF THE ILS CENTERLINE, APRX 3/10 MI WEST FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 4. NO PRE-ACDNT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE ACFT OR ILS FACILITY WAS FOUND.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 780 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 734 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,731 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 11, 1987; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJJ Wooster OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 7,097 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 12 knots
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:14 am from UIN, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.