Beech 23 incident near Frankfort, Kentucky, August 31, 1988
On August 31, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Beech 23, registered N2341J, suffered minor damage in an incident near Frankfort, Kentucky. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 incident. 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 31, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Frankfort, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 23 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N2341J · no longer on the register · serial M-290
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ENGINE QUIT DURING GO-AROUND FROM SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURE. DURING COMPLETION OF EMERGENCY PROCEDURE THE FUEL SELECTOR POSITION WAS CHANGED TO OPPOSITE WING FUEL TANK. LATER EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT WHEN THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE HANDLE INDICATED RIGHT TANK, IT WAS ACTUALLY 'OFF'. CO-OWNER HAD REMOVED AND REINSTALLED SELECTOR VALVE HANDLE WHILE WORKING UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. A PIN IN THE VALVE STEM DESIGNED TO PREVENT IMPROPER POSITIONING OF THE VALVE HANDLE HAD BEEN SHEARED OFF, PROBABLY WHEN THE CO-OWNER ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE HANDLE. VALVE HANDLE HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED DURING RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION BUT CORRECT FUEL FLOW HAD BEEN VERIFIED.
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: 1,661 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,002 as pilot in command; 461 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,957 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 1988; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LEX Lexington KY at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from LEX, 15 miles away
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 N2341J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.