Cessna 150 accident near Prestonburg, Kentucky, August 14, 1982
On August 14, 1982 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N1410Q, was destroyed in an accident near Prestonburg, Kentucky (Combs airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1982 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Prestonburg, Kentucky · Combs
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N1410Q · no longer on the register · serial 15072710
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RWY 13 THE CFI SAW ANOTHER ACFT ON FINAL TO RWY 31 & ENTERED A STEEP LEFT CLIMBING TURN UP A SMALL VALLEY EAST OF THE ARPT. THE CFI WAS UNABLE TO OUT-CLIMB THE RISING TERRAIN. THE CFI STATED HE TOOK THIS EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID A COLLISION. HE WAS BROADCASTING HIS INTENTIONS ON UNICOM AT ALL TIMES. THE OTHER ACFT'S RADIO WAS INOPERATIVE. THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT OBSERVED THE ACFT TAKING OFF & FELT THERE WAS ADEQUATE CLEARANCE IN THE VALLEY LEADING TO RWY 31 FOR THE ACFT TO PASS & THERE WAS NO COLLISION DANGER. THE ARPT IS LOCATED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN & IT WAS A NORMAL PROCEDURE TO USE RWY 13 FOR TAKEOFFS & RWY 31 FOR LANDINGS DUE TO HIGH TERRAIN NEAR THE APPROACH END OF RWY 13.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 245 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 113 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,937 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Prestonburg KY at 12:15 pm
- Destination: Prestonburg KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.