Cessna 182RG accident near Princeton, Kentucky, August 16, 2000
On August 16, 2000 at about 10:41 pm local time, a Cessna 182RG, registered N3674C, was destroyed in an accident near Princeton, Kentucky (Princeton-Caldwell Aprt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to clear trees, for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2000 · about 10:41 pm local time
- Place
- Princeton, Kentucky · Princeton-Caldwell Aprt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182RG · all 182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N3674C · registry record · serial R18200305
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot conducted a preflight inspection, then he, and three passengers boarded the airplane for a local flight. The airplane was configured with 20 degrees flaps, and began its takeoff roll from the end of the runway. According to a survivor, the takeoff took 'three quarter or better' of the 3,000-foot runway, although the engine 'sounded wide open,' and never sputtered or backfired. After takeoff, it appeared to the survivor that the airplane was going to 'just miss' a line of trees. However, its landing gear hit the tops of a tree, about 80 to 100 feet above the runway surface, and 900 feet from the runway's departure end. The airplane then hit the tops of another tree about 130 feet beyond the first tree, crossed some power lines, stalled, and spun to the ground. There was no evidence of pre-accident airframe or engine malfunction. The airport did not have refueling services. Exact takeoff weight could not be determined; however, at maximum gross weight, performance data indicated that the takeoff roll would have been 1,065 feet, and the total distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle would have been 2,060 feet. Winds during the takeoff were from abeam, about 6 knots.
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
- Flight time: 510 hours in all; 280 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,657 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1999; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2M0 at 10:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from HOP, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.