Cessna 335 accident near Owensboro, Kentucky, March 3, 1993
On March 3, 1993 at about 1:42 am local time, a Cessna 335, registered N26CP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Owensboro, Kentucky (Owensboro-Daviess CO airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF AIRPORT PERSONNEL TO REPORT THE RUNWAY CONDITION BY NOTAM WHEN AIRPORT SNOW REMOVAL PERSONNEL LEFT SNOW PILED ON THE EDGES OF THE RUNWAY. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT, FOG, AND THE SNOWBANK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1993 · about 1:42 am local time
- Place
- Owensboro, Kentucky · Owensboro-Daviess CO · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 335 · all 335s on the register
- Registration
- N26CP · no longer on the register · serial 335-0014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE EXECUTED THE ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 35. THE RUNWAY WAS 6499 FEET LONG AND 150 FEET WIDE. HE SAID HE DESCENDED TO ABOUT 550 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND ON HIS APPROACH AND SAW THE RUNWAY LIGHTS. HE STATED THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL, HE LOST SIGHT OF THE RUNWAY LIGHTS DUE TO FOG. ACCORDING TO THE FAA, IT WAS A DARK NIGHT WITH LOW LEVEL FOG AND HAZE. MOST OF THE RUNWAY HAD BEEN CLEARED, BUT SNOW REMAINED NEAR THE EDGES. THE LEFT SIDE WAS COVERED WITH SNOW FROM ABOUT 6 TO 14 FEET FROM THE LEFT EDGE. THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED SNOW ON THE LEFT SIDE, WHERE SNOW ON AND ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY WAS ABOUT 12 FEET WIDE. APPROACHING THE INTERSECTION WITH RUNWAY 5/23, THERE WAS A SNOWBANK ON THE LEFT EDGE THAT OBSCURED THE RUNWAY LIGHTS. AT THE INTERSECTION, THE SNOWBANK ROSE TO ABOUT 6 FEET TALL AND EXTENDED ABOUT 12 FEET ONTO THE RUNWAY 35. THE LEFT NACELLE STRUCK THE SNOWBANK, WHICH SPUN THE AIRCRAFT AND SHEARED OFF THE LANDING GEAR.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 4,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-EB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LEX Lexington KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 6,499 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 am from OWB, 1 miles away
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.