Amateur-built JETEXEC accident near Arthur, Kentucky, September 3, 2022
On September 3, 2022 at about 10:40 pm local time, a 2019 amateur-built JETEXEC (helicopter), registered N162NH, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Arthur, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to attempt the cross-country flight in thunderstorm conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to obtain a weather briefing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2022 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Arthur, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JETEXEC NO SERIES, built 2019
- Registration
- N162NH · no longer on the register · serial 109
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter pilot was flying a cross-country flight in thunderstorms. The former owner of the helicopter, its new owner, stated they were worried about the weather and tried to talk the pilot into waiting 1 day until the weather improved, however, the pilot did not want to wait and subsequently departed for his home airport. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. There was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing and rising terrain led up to the area of the accident. The observations surrounding the time of the accident from the closest official weather station indicated visual flight rules to instrument flight rules conditions, with reflectivity data indicating that thunderstorms were present along the route and at the accident site at the time of the accident. Accordingly, the flight likely encountered reduced visibility and heavy rain while in thunderstorms as a result of the pilot’s decision to fly in thunderstorm conditions. Had the pilot obtained a weather briefing he likely would have had increased his awareness of the severity of the weather conditions along his route of flight and may have elected to delay the flight further until conditions improved.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 40,000 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 135 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 2, 2022; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Solar T62T-32 (turboshaft); 135 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TWT Sturgis KY at 9:22 pm
- Destination: GLW Glasgow KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from KGLW, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGLW 032235Z AUTO 28006KT 7SM RA OVC090 22/22 A3008 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N S AND NW P0009 T02240220
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
20 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Seller | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, New Owner and Friend of Pilot | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 31 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Weather Attachment 1 | GIF file · our copy | Download |
| 6 | Weather Attachment 2 | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Weather Attachment 3 | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | ADS-B Attachment 1 - Raw Data - 1ST Leg | data file · our copy | Download |
| 9 | ADS-B - Attachment 2 - 1ST Leg Plot | map file · our copy | Download |
| 10 | ADS-B - Attachment 3 - Raw Data - 2ND Leg | data file · our copy | Download |
| 11 | ADS-B - Attachment 4 - 2ND Leg Plot | map file · our copy | Download |
| 12 | ADS-B Attachment 5 - Raw Rata - 3RD Leg | data file · our copy | Download |
| 13 | ADS-B Attachment 6, 3RD Leg Plot | map file · our copy | Download |
| 14 | ADS-B Attachment 7 - Raw Data - Final Segment | data file · our copy | Download |
| 15 | ADS-B Attachment 8 - Final Segment Plot | map file · our copy | Download |
| 16 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 17 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 18 | Memorandum for Record A�� Wreckage Disposition | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 19 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 20 | Medical Factual | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
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.