Cessna 401A accident near Whick, Kentucky, August 28, 2006
On August 28, 2006 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna 401A, registered N408JC, was destroyed in an accident near Whick, Kentucky (Wendell H. Ford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 7 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-instrument-rated pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his subsequent failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Contributing was the instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2006 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Whick, Kentucky · Wendell H. Ford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 7 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401A · all 401As on the register
- Registration
- N408JC · registry record · serial 401-0075
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed on a long cross country flight, with thunderstorms and rain squalls along the general route. Approaching the destination airport, the airplane entered a rain squall, stalled, and impacted the ground in an almost vertical descent. Other than the onboard weather radar being previously removed for maintenance, there were no mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane. The pilot, whose logbook was not recovered, was not instrument-qualified. Although he was recently observed flying four to five times weekly, when the pilot applied for a multi-engine rating about 3 1/2 months earlier, he indicated 107 hours of total flight experience.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 107 hours in all
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,387 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: T47 Wichita Falls TX at 2:20 pm
- Destination: K20 Hazard KY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 200 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:05 pm from K20, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.