Mooney M20J accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee, March 5, 1985
On March 5, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N4757H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee (Lovell airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chattanooga, Tennessee · Lovell
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N4757H · no longer on the register · serial 24-0838
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO DISENGAGE THE STARTER PINION GEAR BY ROCKING THE PROP UP & DOWN BY HAND. THE ENG INADVERTENTLY STARTED & THE ACFT ROLLED ACROSS THE RAMP AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED & COLLIDED WITH TWO AUTOMOBILES & A CHAIN LINK FENCE BEFORE COMING TO REST. A WITNESS OBSERVED THE MAGS & THE MASTER SWITCH IN THE BOTH & ON POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY. TWO PASSENGERS WERE SEATED IN THE BACK SEATS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,912 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 1,828 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 990 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1984; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNC Venice FL at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.