Cessna 182Q accident near Paintsville, Kentucky, April 30, 2001
On April 30, 2001 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N129V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paintsville, Kentucky (Pike County Airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the aircraft, which resulted in fuel exhaustion during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2001 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Paintsville, Kentucky · Pike County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N129V · registry record · serial 18267444
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that on the day of the accident, he flew between 5-6 hours, but estimated an endurance of 7 hours based on full tanks at the economy cruise setting. During his fourth flight of the day, the engine lost all power. The pilot told the passenger that he thought he was out of fuel, and performed a forced landing into a cornfield. The pilot added that before he departed on his first flight of the day, he instructed the fixed based operator to completely fuel the airplane. Subsequently, during the preflight inspection, both tanks appeared to be full. However, the manager of the fixed based operator stated that prior to the accident pilot arriving at the airport, the airplane was flown 1.2 hours by a different pilot. After that flight, the airplane was not refueled before the accident pilot departed. The manager believed the accident pilot departed with 76 gallons of fuel, instead of the 88-gallon useable capacity.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 544 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command; 55 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 10, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,651 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 2001; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,110 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PBX Pike County KY at 8:30 pm
- Destination: PBX Paintsville KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from JKL, 20 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.
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 NYC01LA112.