Cessna 172N accident near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, October 15, 2002
On October 15, 2002 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6413J, was destroyed in an accident near Mount Sterling, Kentucky (Mount Sterling airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to follow the published instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an early descent into an antenna tower. A factor was the low ceiling.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2002 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Sterling, Kentucky · Mount Sterling · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6413J · registry record · serial 17273870
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot requested, and was approved for a GPS approach. He was issued an altimeter setting, but did not acknowledge it. Radar data revealed that the airplane passed about 1 mile to the right of an intermediate approach fix, and was nearing the abeam position, about 1/2 mile to the right of the final approach fix. At both positions, the airplane was about 300 feet below the minimum segment altitude. After passing the final approach fix, the controller advised the pilot that radar contact was lost and the pilot acknowledged the transmission. No further transmissions were received from the pilot. The airplane impacted a tower, slightly left of the approach course centerline, at an elevation of about 1,350 feet. The minimum descent altitude along that approach segment was 1,800 feet. The setting found on the altimeter would have placed the airplane about 100 feet lower than it should have been. A witness stated that minutes after the accident, he looked up at the tower to check for damage, and saw that the top of it was "just in the bottom of the clouds." The airplane was certified for IFR operation; however, it was not equipped with an IFR-certified GPS receiver. A personal, hand-held computer with an antenna and integrated GPS receiver was found at the accident site. The software vendor had posted a warning on its website, which stated, "The system is not tested or approved by the FAA or any governmental agency and should not be used as a primary flight instrument."
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 478 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 416 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 13, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,406.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 27, 2002; 34.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HFY Greenwood IN
- Destination: IOB Mount Sterling KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21, 5,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,100 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 9:18 pm from LEX, 25 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.