Piper PA-32-260 accident near Coventry, Connecticut, November 28, 1989
On November 28, 1989 at about 10:50 am local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3309W, was destroyed in an accident near Coventry, Connecticut. It was a personal 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
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INITIATING VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC ON A DARK NIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND UNCONTROLLED FLIGHT INTO THE GROUND. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE ADVERSE WEATHER EXISTING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE PILOT'S SELF-INDUCED PRESSURE TO GET TO WORK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1989 · about 10:50 am local time
- Place
- Coventry, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3309W · no longer on the register · serial 32-146
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A FRIEND OF THE PILOT REPORTED THAT IT WAS RAINING AND FOGGY AS SHE DROVE HIM TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. SHE ALSO SAID THAT WORK WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE PILOT, AND THAT HE FELT THAT HE HAD TO GET TO WORK. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA, THERE WAS WIND, RAIN OF VARYING INTENSITY, LOW CLOUDS AND REDUCED VISIBILITYAVERAGING BETWEEN 1/4 AND 1 MILE.
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
- Flight time: 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,268 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1989; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lyc. O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7B6 Broadbrook CT at 10:35 am
- Destination: GON Groton CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 am from HFD, 12 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.