Cessna 150 N1703Q

Summary

On 9 March 2024 at about 05:10 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N1703Q was involved in an accident near Clay, Kentucky, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 March 2024 at 05:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Clay, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

37.5526, -87.8457

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N1703Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Owensboro → Madisonville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA24LA134

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s decision to attempt a VFR flight in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to alcohol consumption.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot consumed alcohol and attempted a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight over mountainous terrain in night instrument meteorological conditions. During the flight, the airplane had climbed to approximately 1,400 ft above ground level (agl), but the pilot experienced increasing rain intensity and decreasing ceiling heights. He repeatedly descended the airplane to remain below cloud layers and was at an altitude of about 300 ft agl when the airplane collided with trees about 5 miles from his intended diversionary airport. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The FAA Forensic Sciences laboratory performed toxicological testing of specimens from the pilot collected by hospital personnel about 11.5 hours after the accident. Ethanol was detected in blood and serum at levels consistent with a blood alcohol level of 0.23 g/dL at the time of the accident, well above what FAA regulations permit.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.