Mooney M20F accident near Burkesville, Kentucky, August 6, 1988
On August 6, 1988 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N6864V, was destroyed in an accident near Burkesville, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- August 6, 1988 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Burkesville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6864V · no longer on the register · serial 22-1257
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED HEAVY RAIN AND EXTREME TURBULENCE WHILE FLYING OVER A BLACK CLOUD AT 8,500 FT. HE STATED THAT IT WAS AS IF AN 'INVISIBLE TORNADO HAD REACHED OUT' AND GRABBED THE AIRPLANE; EXCESSIVE CLIMB & DESCENT RATES WERE EXPERIENCED, AND CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE WAS LOST. THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A SPIN AND DESCENDED SEVERAL THOUSAND FT INTO TREES. THE WINGS WERE TORN OFF ON IMPACT WITH THE TREES, AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE TERRAIN INVERTED. WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT PRE-FLIGHT PREPARATION, THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING FROM FLT SVC, BUT NOTED THAT HE WAS AWARE OF A COLD FRONT IN THE AREA. THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD AN INSTRUMENT RATING. ACCORDING TO FAA RECORDS, HE WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED.
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: 450 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,660 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9A7 Jonesboro GA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Madison IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.