- Date
- October 16, 1989, 12:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Eddyville, KY
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N733WKCessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891016040719A
- Case key
- 8100
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot continuing VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. Contributing factor(s) was: low ceiling and rain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot had received three weather briefings prior to departing red oak; all briefings concluded with a no visual flight recommendation. Witnesses observed the airplane flying low along a parkway beneath the clouds just prior to the collision with a radio tower at 230 feet above the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N733WK
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-68265
- Airframe hours
- 1,938
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Red Oak Aviation Club, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Red Oak Aviation Club, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 31, 1988 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- Red Oak, IA
- Destination
- Nashville, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 380 total · 340 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.