Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1989
On November 23, 1989 at about 4:05 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N1028Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Johnstown, Pennsylvania (Johnstown Cambria County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDE ON AN ILS FINAL APPROACH, WHICH ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO DESCEND BELOW THE GLIDE PATH AND COLLIDE WITH APPROACH LIGHTING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S DECISION TO FLY IN KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER (ICING) CONDITIONS, AND STRUCTURAL ICING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 1989 · about 4:05 am local time
- Place
- Johnstown, Pennsylvania · Johnstown Cambria County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N1028Q · registry record · serial 32R-7780218
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS ADVISED THAT THE WX WAS: 300' OVC, VIS 3 MI WITH FRZG RAIN, LGT DRZL & LGT SNOW. HE INITIATED AN ILS RWY 33 APCH & ENCTRD TURBC. HE ELECTED TO MAKE A MISSED APCH & FLEW BACK FOR A 2ND APCH. ON THE 2ND APCH, HE ENCTRD TURBC AGAIN, THEN NOTICED THE ACFT WAS LOSING SPEED. THE PLT SAID HE APPLIED FULL POWER & THAT WAS THE LAST THING HE COULD REMEMBER. THE ACFT CRASHED WHEN IT STRUCK APCH LGTS ABOUT 600' SHORT OF THE RWY. WHEN THE ACFT WAS EXAMINED THE NEXT DAY, AIRFRAME ICE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE LEADING EDGE & LOWER SFC OF THE WINGS. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. DRG A WX BRIEFING BEFORE THE FLT, THE PLT HAD BEEN GIVEN ADVISORIES FOR SNOW & LGT TO MOD RIME ICING CONDITIONS. THE ACFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED FOR FLT IN KNOWN ICG CONDS.
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: airline transport pilot, 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: 2,568 hours in all; 162 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 2,247 as pilot in command; 1,579 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: A & G Air Of N.J., INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CDW Fairfield NJ at 5:00 am
- Destination: JST
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 5,486 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from JST
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1028Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 NYC90LA032.