Piper PA-32-300 accident near Missing, AO, March 8, 1989
On March 8, 1989 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N5899F, was destroyed in an accident near Missing, AO. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1989 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Missing, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N5899F · no longer on the register · serial 32-7740007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED ST JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND ON A FLT TO FERRY THE ACFT TO SHANNON, IRELAND. AT ABOUT 1500 AST, THE GANDER AREA CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED A DISTRESS CALL FROM THE ACFT. THE PLT RPRTD AN ENG PROBLEM & SAID HE WAS PREPARING TO DITCH. ELEVEN ACFT & 2 SURFACE VESSELS SEARCHED THE AREA, BUT NEITHER THE PLT NOR THE ACFT WAS FND. A WX SHIP IN THE AREA RPRTD LOW CEILINGS, WIND FROM THE WEST AT ABOUT 16 KTS, AIR TEMP 32 DEG, WATER TEMP 42 DEG, & WAVE HEIGHT OF ABOUT 30 FT. THESE CONDITIONS PREVAILED DURING THE SEARCH PERIOD WITH THE VISIBILITY REDUCING TO 2 MI IN RAIN, SLEET & SNOW. THE PLT WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE DIED FROM INJURIES OR DROWNING AFTER DITCHING THE ACFT IN HVY SEA CONDITIONS. THE ACFT WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 630 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Orient Air
The flight
- Departed from: YYT St Johns,Nfld
- Destination: Shannon,Ireland OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.