‘Blown around like crazy.’ Plane hit rough weather before fatal Kentucky crash.
A flight instructor reported extreme turbulence before the small airplane he was aboard crashed in a rural area in Western Kentucky last month, killing him and a student pilot.
Those who died in the crash were Timothy A. McKellar Jr., 22 of Custer, an instructor with Eagle Flight Academy in Owensboro; and Connor W. Quisenberry, 18 of Beaver Dam, according to Kentucky State Police.
The two were on the return leg of a night cross-county flight and had left the airport in Bowling Green just before 10 p.m. Central Time headed for Owensboro, according to a preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
It was the first time the two had flown together.
At about 10:15 p.m., a post to social media by McKellar of a screenshot from a navigation tool showed stormy weather to the northwest of the plane, according to the report.
About half an hour later, an air traffic controller told the pilot there was heavy to extreme rain to the west of the plane.
Two minutes later, McKellar requested an instrument flight rules clearance. That was an indication he needed to navigate using instruments, not just fly by sight.
The controller issued the clearance and provided a course to the east to help the plane get out of the rough weather, according to the report.
McKellar told the controller the plane was “getting blown around like crazy,” the NTSB report said.
Radar showed the plane turned to the left and then to the right.
When the controller reiterated a course heading to get away from the weather, McKellar responded that the plane was in “pretty extreme turbulence,” according to the NTSB report.
The flight track showed a continuing, descending turn to the right after that. There were no further communications, the report said.
The plane, a Piper PA28, crashed in hilly, densely wooded area in Ohio County.
An examination of the engine didn’t show any problems that would have barred normal operation, the report said.
The NTSB typically releases a preliminary report soon after a plane crash to recount details that are known at that time, but it could be a year or more before the agency issues a report on the probable cause of the crash.
Quisenberry was a 2023 graduate of Ohio County High School and was attending Owensboro Community College, according to his obituary.
He was an Eagle Scout; loved flying, sports, the beach, and spending time with his family and friends; and was an active member of Hartford Christian Church, the obituary said.
McKellar’s obituary said he “loved all things fast — lifted and diesel trucks, airplanes and motorcycles.”
“Junior never met a stranger, made those around him laugh, loved to entertain — especially BIG parties and was always the life of the party,” the obituary said.
