Cessna 172 accident near Pikeville, Kentucky, November 18, 1988
On November 18, 1988, a Cessna 172, registered N2840Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pikeville, Kentucky. It was a personal 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 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
- November 18, 1988
- Place
- Pikeville, Kentucky
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N2840Q · no longer on the register · serial 17259840
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD FLOWN ABOUT 3.7 HOURS AND WAS ABOUT 2 MILES FROM HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED AND HE WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A SWAMP. THE PILOT HAD TOPPED OFF THE ACFT SO THAT IT CONTAINED 42 GALLONS OF FUEL (38 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL). THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION INDICATED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS TOTALLY VOID OF FUEL. THE PILOT DID NOT ATTEMPT TO LAND AT ANOTHER AIRPORT TO REFUEL EVEN THOUGH THE FLIGHT CAME WITHIN 5 MILES OF AN AIRPORT WHERE THERE WAS FUEL AVAILABLE. THE PILOT FAILED TO PROPERLY COMPUTE HIS FUEL CONSUMPTION FOR THE EXISTING HEADWIND CONDITIONS.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 225 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 145 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,216 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 1988; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HGR Hagerstown MD at 8:00 pm
- Destination: Pikeville KY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.