Beech 65 accident near Campbellsville, Kentucky, June 30, 1996
On June 30, 1996 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Beech 65, registered N3870C, was destroyed in an accident near Campbellsville, Kentucky (Taylor County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight preparation, his failure to remove the control lock, and his failure to abort the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1996 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Campbellsville, Kentucky · Taylor County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65 · all 65s on the register
- Registration
- N3870C · no longer on the register · serial LC-212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to an FAA inspector, the airplane '...was unable to get airborne...' during the takeoff roll. He stated that after travelling the full length of the 4,997-foot runway, the airplane ran off the departure end of runway 5 and continued approximately 2,257 feet through an open field, a fence, a corn field and into a depression where it impacted terrain and came to rest. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll he discovered that he had not removed the gust lock from the control column and that his attempts to remove it were unsuccessful. The pilot stated that the aircraft '...went off the end of the runway through a fence and impacted an earthen berm that collapsed the gear [and] bladestrikes that stopped the engines.'
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,811 as pilot in command; 868 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,549 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1993; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,700 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IGSO-480-A1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Advantage Aviation INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 4,997 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:11 pm from AAS, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.