Mooney M-20 accident near Hartwell, Georgia, June 4, 1988
On June 4, 1988 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Mooney M-20, registered N5705Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartwell, Georgia (Hartwell-Mustang airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 4, 1988 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hartwell, Georgia · Hartwell-Mustang · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20 · all M-20s on the register
- Registration
- N5705Q · registry record · serial 712
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED WHILE TAXIING AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 5 MPH AFTER LANDING. THE ANNUAL INSPECTION FAILED TO DISCLOSE A MATERIAL PROBLEM WITH THE GEAR TRUSS. EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURED COMPONENT DISCLOSED THAT THE TUBULAR MATERIAL HAD RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE AND THE DEFECT WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE.
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: 1,330 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,330 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,670 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1987; 202 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Blairsville GA at 11:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.