in August 1986, and was acquired by USAir (US Airways) three years later in August 1989 when Piedmont and USAir merged. N485US had amassed a total of 12,462 flying hours at the time of the accident. Captain Wallace J. Majure II, 44, who was fully qualified to pilot the F28 and four other commercial aircraft, had accumulated about 9,820 total flying hours, of which 2,200 hours were in the F28. Majure was initially hired as an F28 first officer by Piedmont Airlines in 1985. He was later reassigned to serve as a first officer and then a captain on a Boeing 737, but finally returned to an F28 captain because of company cutbacks. He previously served for United States Navy from 1969 until 1985. The New York Times reported that: Majure was a man who yearned to please his passengers, and if he made them happy then he also made his airline happy. He had often spoken to friends about how important it was for him to get travelers to their destinations on time and how proud he was of USAir's on-time record. All the same, he was also portrayed as a by-the-book, cautious pilot. First Officer John Rachuba, 30, was hired by Piedmont in 1989. At the time of the accident, company records indicate that he had accumulated around 4,507 flying hours, of which 29 hours were in the F28. Rachuba held a flight engineer certificate with ratings for turbojet-powered aircraft and an expired instructor certificate issued on August 16, 1987. He also held a Federal Aviation Administration license for nonfederal control towers. Previously, he had served as a flight engineer on Boeing 737s and Boeing 727s. The two flight attendants were Debra Andrews Taylor and Janice King. Janice King, who was seated in the aft jumpseat, died in the crash. Accident Poor weather, deicing, taxiing delays The aircraft took off from Jacksonville International Airport, Florida, several hours before the accident, although the departure from Jacksonville was delayed by poor weather over New York and the removal of the baggage of a passenger who decided not to board the jet. The instrument approach landing was uneventful and the jet was not significantly delayed while in the air waiting to land, but congestion on the taxiways at LaGuardia delayed the arrival of the aircraft at the gate. One hour and six minutes behind schedule, the jet arrived at Gate B1,