- Date
- July 21, 1989, 10:16 local (14:16 UTC)
- Place
- Suches, GA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N205AGMooney M20J
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890721031079A
- Case key
- 7910
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot elected to continue flight to the intended destination disregarding the recommendations of the in flight weather briefer. Contributing factor(s) was: the adverse weather conditions that existed at the time.
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
One of the two non-instrument rated pilots in the airplane obtained a weather briefing from the atlanta fss by radio when they were 20 miles from their destination. The pilot advised that they were in cloud cover and would 'like to know a place where we can break through the clouds.' The briefer advised that she would 'not recommend VFR in this area at all.' The wreckage was located about 10 miles southeast of their destination on the south slope of a mountain, about 400-600 feet below the top of the ridgeline. The airplane had impacted the trees and terrain in near-level flight. Pilot at controls presumed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N205AG
- Reported as
- Mooney M20J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3016
- Airframe hours
- 307
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John D. Pittman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 22, 1988 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- Live Oak, FL
- Destination
- 46A · Blairsville, GA
- Airport
- 46A · Blairsville
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MGE, 58 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.