Cessna 195 accident near Willard, Kentucky, January 18, 2000
On January 18, 2000 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N3448V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Willard, 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 continued VFR flight into IMC conditions. Factors were the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and snow showers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2000 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Willard, Kentucky
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N3448V · no longer on the register · serial 7138
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
There was no record of a weather briefing or flight plan for the accident pilot or airplane with any flight service station. The pilot departed Parkersburg, West Virginia, and intended to fly to Saint Petersburg, Florida. About 15 minutes before the accident, a witness observed the pilot flying about 800 feet above the ground, in the vicinity of snow showers, near mountainous terrain. Witnesses that resided near the accident site reported seeing snow showers throughout the day. They heard an airplane make two passes overhead, an engine revved to full power, then silence. The reported ceiling at an airport approximately 20 miles from the accident site was 600 feet overcast.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,700 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs L6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PKB Parkersburg WV at 3:00 pm
- Destination: SPG St. Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:22 pm from HTS, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.