Cessna 172 accident near Flemingburg, Kentucky, March 19, 1984
On March 19, 1984 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N6870X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Flemingburg, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- March 19, 1984 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Flemingburg, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N6870X · no longer on the register · serial 172-47770
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE FLT WAS ABOUT 12 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AT 2000 FT WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE PLT ESTABLISHEDAN EMERG DESCENT TO AN OPEN FIELD, RAN THROUGH A SMALL POND AND FLIPPED INVERTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED WX CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 474 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1983; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Flemingburg KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from LEX, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.