NTSB Preliminary Report on Kentucky Fatal Crash Released

The NTSB has released its preliminary findings on the fatal crash of a Piper PA-28-161 near Whitesville, Kentucky, in September involving a flight instructor and private pilot candidate on a night flight.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 03:42 PM ET

Verified

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary accident report, the aircraft flew through "heavy to extreme precipitation." [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

NTSB preliminary findings reveal a fatal crash of a Piper PA-28-161, carrying a flight instructor and student, after the aircraft flew into a severe thunderstorm during a night VFR flight.
The flight instructor, Timothy McKellar Jr., made demeaning social media posts about the student and acknowledged approaching severe weather, including an image of "angry hornets" (storms), yet continued the flight.
Despite attempting to obtain an IFR clearance and receiving ATC advisories for heavy precipitation, the aircraft encountered "pretty extreme turbulence," leading to an uncontrolled descent and in-flight breakup.

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary findings on the fatal crash of a Piper PA-28-161 near Whitesville, Kentucky, in September involving a flight instructor and private pilot candidate on a night flight.

According to the report, the pair flew into a thunderstorm. The event has received national attention because the CFI, Timothy McKellar Jr., 22, made several social media posts during the flight that included demeaning comments about the learner, Connor Quisenberry, 18. McKellar also posted an image of approaching thunderstorms along the route of flight. McKellar acknowledged the storms and the flight continued.