- Date
- August 17, 1985, 13:33 local (17:33 UTC)
- Place
- Columbus, GA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5844QMooney M20C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850817039459A
- Case key
- 6634
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Acft departed airport after enroute stop for fueling.VFR conditions with broken clouds at 2800 feet and turbulence in clouds. Acft was cleared to 4500 and PIC asked to report reaching. During climb PIC was asked his altitude. His response was unintelligible followed by loss of radar contact.a witness driving on the interstate adjacent to the crash site watched an airplane spin out of the sky at about the location of the crash site until it disappeared behind trees. Acft impacted in a steep nose down attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5844Q
- Reported as
- Mooney M20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3131
- Airframe hours
- 1,611
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-AD, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul L. Tappin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 9, 1985 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- CSG · Columbus, GA
- Destination
- BNA · Nashville, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 286 total · 162 in this make and model · 234 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CSG, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5844Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.