Piper PA-22-135 accident near Jacksonville, Florida, March 3, 1989
On March 3, 1989 at about 2:27 am local time, a Piper PA-22-135, registered N3243B, was destroyed in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Int'L airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN UNSTABILIZED INSTRUMENT APPROACH WHEREIN THE PILOT DESCENDED BELOW THE MDA. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDED AN INADEQUATELY EQUIPPED ACFT AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1989 · about 2:27 am local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · Jacksonville Int'L
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-135 · all PA-22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N3243B · registry record · serial 22-2073
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A VOR APRCH WAS ATTEMPTED AT THE ORIG DEST BUT A MISSED APRCH WAS MADE AT MINIMUMS. PLT DIVERTED TO JAX WHERE HE WAS CLEARED FOR AN ILS RWY 7 APRCH. THE ACFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH GLIDESLOPE OR MARKER BCN, BUT ATC PERSONNEL STATED PLT MADE IT APPEAR THAT HE WAS EQUIPPED FOR FULL ILS APRCH. XING ALT AT OM IS 1900 FT; FLT CROSSED OM AT 400-500 FT. AT ABOUT 4.5 MI FROM RWY, FLT CLIMBED TO 900 FT, THEN AT 3.5 MI, DESCENDED TO 600 FT. ATC ADVISED FLT OF RADAR-OBSERVED ALT EXCURSIONS DURING THE APRCH. THE PLT STATED THAT HE GOT ON THE LOCALIZER, TRACKED IT FOR AWHILE, THEN GOT OFF. HE WAS TRYING TO RECAPTURE THE LOCALIZER WHEN HE HIT THE TREES ABOUT 1 MI SHORT OF THE RWY. THE PLT'S BFR HAD EXPIRED 2 MOS PRIOR TO THE CRASH & REVIEW OF HIS LOGBOOK SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF COMPLIANCE WITH FAR 61.57, RECENT IFR EXPERIENCE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PROBLEM WITH THE ACFT OR COMPONENTS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,094 hours in all; 701 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1,054 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,682 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1988; 240 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGB Orangeburg SC
- Destination: CRG Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:13 am from JAX, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.