Cessna 340 accident near Falmouth, Kentucky, August 8, 1992
On August 8, 1992 at about 1:50 am local time, a Cessna 340, registered N194S, was destroyed in an accident near Falmouth, 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 IMPROPER DECISION BY THE NON-INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT TO ATTEMPT VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS RESULTING IN A LOSS OF AIRPLANE CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT INADVERTENT SPIRAL AND COLLISION WITH THE GROUND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE; THE PILOT'S LACK OF FLIGHT TIME IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL AIRPLANE; AND HIS OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS OWN ABILITY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1992 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Falmouth, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · all 340s on the register
- Registration
- N194S · registry record · serial 3400167
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS CRUISING AT 16,500 FEET AT NIGHT WHEN RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WERE LOST. THE PILOT MADE NO DISTRESS RADIO CALLS. RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRPLANE IN A LEFT DESCENDING TURN. OTHER AIRPLANES WERE DEVIATING AROUND WEATHER IN THE AREA. GROUND WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO IMPACT AND REPORTED RAIN. THE PILOT STARTED FLYING LESSONS IN MARCH AND RECEIVED HIS MULTI-ENGINE RATING IN JUNE. HE HAD A TOTAL OF 142 HOURS FLIGHT TIME, WITH 25 HOURS IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL AIRPLANE AND 9 HOURS TOTAL NIGHT TIME. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED.
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: 142 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 76 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,762 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1992; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,305 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Marketplace America, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MCN Macon GA at 11:31 pm
- Destination: GRR Grand Rapids MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.