Piper PA-22-108 accident near Cartersville, Georgia, June 6, 1985
On June 6, 1985 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N5668Z, was destroyed in an accident near Cartersville, Georgia (Cartersville airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- June 6, 1985 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Cartersville, Georgia · Cartersville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N5668Z · no longer on the register · serial 22 9491
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CIRCUMSTANCES & PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS NOT DETERMINED. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE OWNER/STUDENT PLT & ANOTHER PSN, WHO WAS A CERTIFIED MECHANIC & AN INSTRUCTOR PLT, TOOK OFF & ENTERED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A CLOSED TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RWY 18. THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WAS TERMINATED IN A LOW APCH. DURING THE 2ND CLIMB-OUT, THE ACFT WENT INTO A NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE, THEN ENTERED A STALL/SPIN & CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE OWNER/STUDENT'S LAST INDORSEMENT FOR SOLO FLT WAS DATED 6/10/84. ACCORDING TO HIS LOG BOOK, HIS LAST SOLO FLT WAS ON 12/12/84; HOWEVER, THERE WERE 3 ENTRIES FOR N5668Z AFTER THAT ENTRY WITH NO DATE OR FLT TIME LOGGED. THE OWNER/STUDENT WAS PRESUMED TO BE THE PLT-IN-COMMAND. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF HIS BLOOD SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.15%. A TEST OF THE OTHER OCCUPANT'S BLOOD WAS NEGATIVE. THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE OTHER OCCUPANT WAS ACTING AS A MECHANIC/OBSERVER OR AN INSTRUCTOR PLT WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: student
- Flight time: 45 hours in all; 29 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,892 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1984; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from FTY, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.