Cessna 182Q accident near Edison Twshp, New Jersey, August 14, 1989
On August 14, 1989 at about 10:04 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N759MN, was destroyed in an accident near Edison Twshp, New Jersey (Linden airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW THE IFR PROCEDURE AND MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: MINIMUM SAFE ALTITUDE WARNING (MSAW) RADAR NOT ENABLED, AND FAILURE OF THE APPROACH CONTROLLER TO PROVIDE A SAFETY ADVISORY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1989 · about 10:04 am local time
- Place
- Edison Twshp, New Jersey · Linden
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N759MN · no longer on the register · serial 66104
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARR, THE FLT WAS VCTRD FOR AN NDB-B APCH TO THE LINDEN ARPT. AT THAT TIME, WX AT NEWARK, NJ, WAS RPRTD AS PARTIALLY OBSCD, 400' SCT, 15,000 SCT, VIS 1 MI WITH FOG, TEMP & DEW POINT 71 DEG, WND FM 220 DEG AT 3 KTS, ALTIMETER 30.09' HG. THERE WAS NO WX RPRT FOR LINDEN, BUT A PLT, WHO LNDD EARLIER, RPRTD HE HAD THE ARPT IN SITE ABT 8 MI OUT, THOUGH THERE WAS GROUND FOG. AT 0559:50, BEFORE RCHG THE FINAL APCH FIX (FAF), THE PLT (OF N759MN) WAS CLRD FOR THE APCH. AT 0600:45, RADAR SVC WAS TRMTD & THE PLT WAS CLRD TO CHG TO ADZY FREQ. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT THE TOP OF A 75' TREE & CRASHED JUST SHORT OF THE FAF. A WITNESS RPRTD THAT JUST BFR THE ACDNT, THE ACFT APPEARED TO 'POP OUT' OF A CLOUD AT ABT 100' AGL IN A DSCNT. MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE APCH WAS 2000'; MDA FOR FINAL APCH WAS 640'; ELEV OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABT 220'. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE ACFT HAD DSCNDD TO 1800' AT 0559:59, THEN WAS AT 1300' AT 0600:46. THE CONTROLLER DID NOT ENABLE THE MIN SAFE ALT WARNING (MSAW) SYS.
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: 1,190 hours in all; 73 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 1,190 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,511 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1989; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,960 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-0 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DKK Dunkirk NY at 7:55 am
- Destination: LDJ Linden NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 am from EWR, 6 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.