Cessna 182Q accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, September 29, 1990
On September 29, 1990, a Cessna 182Q, registered N5289N, was destroyed in an accident near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR OPERATION IN ATTEMPTING AN ILS APPROACH IN AN AIRPLANE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN ILS GLIDE SLOPE RECEIVER. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1990
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket Memorial
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N5289N · no longer on the register · serial 18267621
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR THE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24. HE TERMINATED THE FIRST APPROACH DUE TO AN 'AUTOPILOT PROBLEM.' HE WAS THEN VECTORED FOR THE SECOND APPROACH, AND SHORTLY AFTER REPORTING THE LOCATOR OUTER MARKER INBOUND RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS LOST. THE PUBLISHED CROSSING ALTITUDE AT THE MARKER IS 1,600 FEET. NTAP DATA REVEALED THE AIRPLANE CROSSED THE MARKER AT 800 FEET. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A GLIDE SLOPE RECEIVER/INDICATOR.
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: 287 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GON Groton CT at 11:46 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,303 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from ACK, 75 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.