What happened
The pilot obtained a weather briefing and filed a flight plan for a trip from Lexington to Paducah, Kentucky, with a planned 15-minute en route stop at Bowling Green. While flying toward Bowling Green, the pilot reported that the cloud base was approximately 6,000 feet and noted lightning activity to the west. After making the quick stop at Bowling Green, the pilot departed under an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance for Paducah.
At 22:31 Central Standard Time, Memphis Center advised the pilot of a weather system that would need to be penetrated if he continued to Paducah. The pilot affirmed the transmission, marking the last radio communication with the aircraft. At 22:52 CST, radar contact was lost, and the aircraft crashed approximately 17 miles northeast of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
The investigation
The wreckage was found in a steep nosedown descent and was completely demolished. An examination of the debris failed to disclose any material or system failure or malfunction. A SIGMET had been issued to warn of an area of thunderstorms with a few embedded cells in the vicinity of the accident.
Findings
The pilot attempted to fly through severe weather conditions despite being warned by air traffic control about the storm system ahead. The aircraft was struck by lightning, which caused the fatal crash. The pilot was 1 fatal and not injured others were involved in this incident involving a Cessna 172M. The registration of the aircraft was N98SW. The flight phase was en route when the accident occurred near Hopkinsville, Kentucky.