Cessna A152 accident near Hyden, Kentucky, August 5, 1990
On August 5, 1990 at about 6:37 pm local time, a Cessna A152, registered N4728A, was destroyed in an accident near Hyden, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY CONTINUING VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WHICH RESULTED IN SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE THUNDERSTORMS AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT FLYING PROFICIENCY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1990 · about 6:37 pm local time
- Place
- Hyden, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna A152 · all A152s on the register
- Registration
- N4728A · registry record · serial A1520883
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FROM DUATS; HE WAS ASSISTED BY A CFI. FORECASTS WERE FOR A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS, MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS, AND IFR CONDITIONS IN KENTUCKY. FOR ABOUT THE LAST 30 MINUTES, EN ROUTE AND NEARING HIS DESTINATION, THE PILOT WAS RECEIVING ATC ASSISTANCE TO AVOID WX PAINTED ON ATC RADAR. AT 1437 THE PILOT RADIOED '...IT'S RAINING ON ME HEAVILY OVER HERE.' THE CONTROLLER ASKED IF THE PILOT COULD MAINTAIN VFR, AND THE PILOT ANSWERED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THERE WERE NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS RECEIVED FROM THE PILOT.
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: 72 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 34 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1990; 109 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GMV Greenville SC at 4:35 pm
- Destination: LOZ London KY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.