Piper PA-44-180T accident near Princeton, New Jersey, December 24, 1988
On December 24, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180T, registered N91PA, was destroyed in an accident near Princeton, New Jersey. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Princeton, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180T · all PA-44-180Ts on the register
- Registration
- N91PA · registry record · serial 44-8207013
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER OF BOTH ENGINES AND CRASHED INTO TREES NEAR PRINCETON AIRPORT, PRINCETON, NJ. THE PILOT FLEW 4.5 HRS AND AFTER A MISSED APPROACH ONE ENGINE QUIT. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE PRINCETON AIRPORT THE OTHER ENGINE QUIT. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER OF THE ACFT, 4.5 HRS WOULD USE ALL BUT RESERVE FUEL AT OPTIMUM CRUISE AT 16,000 FT. CRUISE AT LOWER ALT OR AT HIGHER POWER WOULD USE MORE FUEL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 917 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 223 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 826 as pilot in command; 571 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,925 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TO-360-E1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fit Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SAV Savannah GA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 47N Manville NJ
- 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 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC89LA057.