Piper PA 22-150 accident near Goshen, Kentucky, September 25, 1999
On September 25, 1999 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA 22-150, registered N2381P, was destroyed in an accident near Goshen, Kentucky. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons which resulted in a forced landing and subsequent collision with terrain. A factor in this accident was the down-sloping terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1999 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Goshen, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 22-150 · all PA 22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N2381P · no longer on the register · serial 22-2772
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner of the airplane and a flight instructor departed on a training flight. A witness near the accident site heard a 'sputtering' engine noise. He went outside and observed the airplane about 50 to 100 feet above his barn, flying straight and level. The airplane made a left turn towards a tree line, a second left turn, which paralleled the tree line, and a third left turn towards a field. The airplane descended towards the field 'like it was trying to land.' He further described the engine noise as 'missing, like the engine would stop and start.' The airplane touched down towards the end of a 7.3 acre rectangular field, and struck a fence that was located about 83 feet beyond the airplane's initial touchdown point. A post crash fire ensued. Examination of the wreckage, which included an engine teardown, did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. Review of an FAA Carburetor Icing Probability Chart, placed the temperature and dewpoint reported in the vicinity of the accident site, in the 'serious icing at glide power' area of the chart.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,465 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,840 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY at 7:16 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from LOU, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.