Mooney M20G accident near Jasper, Georgia, April 1, 1988
On April 1, 1988 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20G, registered N3638N, was destroyed in an accident near Jasper, Georgia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- April 1, 1988 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Jasper, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20G · all M20Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3638N · no longer on the register · serial 20G680020
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE DEPG BLAIRSVILLE, THE PLT REQD THE CURRENT ATLANTA WX FOR THE DEKALB-PEACHTREE ARPT & FOR AN AFTERNOON OUTLOOK. HE TOLD THE BRIEFER THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A PREVIOUS WX BRIEFING. HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE FORECAST WAS FOR INSTRUMENT CONDS UNTIL NOON WITH A CHANCE OF OVERCAST SKIES AT 1500 FT. HE DEPARTED BLAIRSVILLE AT 1210 EST WITH INTENTIONS OF FOLLOWING HIGHWAYS TO THE ATLANTA AREA. A PERSON, WHO WAS DRIVING A CAR BETWEEN BLAIRSVILLE & THE SUBSEQUENT CRASH SITE, SAW A MOONEY FLYING IN & OUT OF FOG AT ABOUT 150' AGL. THERE WAS RAIN, LOW CEILING & POOR VIS ALONG THAT ROUTE. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT ARRIVE AT THE DESTN, A SEARCH WAS BEGUN. THE ACFT WAS FND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ON RISING, WOODED TERRAIN ON MT OGLETHORPE AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 3290'. AN EXAM REVEALED THE ACFT WAS IN LEVEL FLT JUST BEFORE IMPACT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. ALTHOUGH THE PLT WAS INSTRUMENT RATED, HE HAD NO RECENT INSTRUMENT FLT TIME.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,599 hours in all; 1,365 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 1,499 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,039 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1988; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,525 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 46A Blairsville GA at 5:10 pm
- Destination: 4A0 Stockbridge GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:39 pm from MGE, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.