Cessna 150 accident near Clay, Kentucky, March 9, 2024
On March 9, 2024 at about 5:10 am local time, a 1971 Cessna 150, registered N1703Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Clay, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to attempt a VFR flight in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to alcohol consumption.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2024 · about 5:10 am local time
- Place
- Clay, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 L, built 1971 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N1703Q · registry record · serial 15073003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot consumed alcohol and attempted a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight over mountainous terrain in night instrument meteorological conditions. During the flight, the airplane had climbed to approximately 1,400 ft above ground level (agl), but the pilot experienced increasing rain intensity and decreasing ceiling heights. He repeatedly descended the airplane to remain below cloud layers and was at an altitude of about 300 ft agl when the airplane collided with trees about 5 miles from his intended diversionary airport. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The FAA Forensic Sciences laboratory performed toxicological testing of specimens from the pilot collected by hospital personnel about 11.5 hours after the accident. Ethanol was detected in blood and serum at levels consistent with a blood alcohol level of 0.23 g/dL at the time of the accident, well above what FAA regulations permit.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 746 hours in all
- Last flight review: May 29, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,204 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 7,204 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OWB Owensboro KY at 4:35 am
- Destination: 2I0 Madisonville KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.83 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from TWT, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KTWT 090515Z AUTO 00000KT 5SM RA BKN007 OVC013 13/12 A2983
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on March 12, 2026. 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 | Memorandum for the Record - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Police Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversation (Summary of Inspectors Gregory & Anderson Zoom Meeting with Pilot on 5-20-24) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpt from Pilot Logbook | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts from Aircraft Logbooks | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Reports | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Investigation Photograph | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Electronic Device - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Attachment 1 to Electronic Device - Specialist's Factual Report | data file | Download |
| 10 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Medical Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA24LA134.