Piper PA-23-250 accident near Sellersburg, Indiana, October 20, 1994
On October 20, 1994 at about 5:35 am local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N40509, was destroyed in an accident near Sellersburg, Indiana (Jeffersonville/Clark CO. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW IFR PROCEDURES BY ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO DEVIATE LEFT OF THE ILS LOCALIZER COURSE, BY NOT MAINTAINING THE PROPER ILS GLIDE PATH, AND BY CONTINUING DESCENT BELOW THE ILS DECISION HEIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 20, 1994 · about 5:35 am local time
- Place
- Sellersburg, Indiana · Jeffersonville/Clark CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N40509 · no longer on the register · serial 27-7405240
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DUE TO WEATHER, THE PILOT MADE A MISSED APPROACH AT AN AIRPORT ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ALTERNATE AIRPORT. HE THEN DIVERTED TO THE ALTERNATE, WHERE HE WAS CLEARED FOR AN ILS RUNWAY 18 APPROACH. AFTER PASSING THE FINAL APPROACH FIX, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO CONTACT THE AIRPORT'S ADVISORY SERVICE. AS THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED INBOUND, IT COLLIDED WITH A QUARRY WALL ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT AND 1/4 MILE EAST OF THE LOCALIZER CENTERLINE. ELEVATION AT THE TOP OF THE QUARY WALL WAS 480' MSL; AIRPORT ELEVATION WAS 474' MSL; DECISION HEIGHT FOR THE APPROACH WAS 674' MSL. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO PREIMPACT FAILURE, BUT THE AIRPLANE WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED BY IMPACT AND GROUND FIRE. A FRIEND REPORTED THAT THE PILOT BEGAN HIS WORK DAY AT 0830 EST.
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: 1,041 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DAY Dayton OH at 3:47 am
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 am from JVY, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.