Cessna 172S accident near Louisville, Kentucky, May 14, 2006
On May 14, 2006 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N642KM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky (Bowman Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 2006 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Kentucky · Bowman Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N642KM · registry record · serial 172S10053
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was practicing a soft field takeoff from runway 24, a 4,326-foot-long, 80-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During the takeoff roll, the airplane began to veer to the left. The student pilot attempted to correct the airplane's left motion with right rudder; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, and struck a parked airplane. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-accident malfunctions. The student pilot reported 24 hours of total flight experience, all in the same make and model. Winds reported at the airport, about the time of the accident, were from 240 degrees, at 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
Dual student
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 152 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2006; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Tech, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,326 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from LOU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 NYC06CA116.