Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG accident near Cordele, Georgia, November 4, 1989
On November 4, 1989 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG, registered N9WT, was destroyed in an accident near Cordele, Georgia (Crisp County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER HANDLING OF THE AIRCRAFT BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN HIS LOSS OF CONTROL. HIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE OF AIRCRAFT WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 1989 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cordele, Georgia · Crisp County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG MIDGET MUS
- Registration
- N9WT · no longer on the register · serial 238
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS MAKING HIS 1ST LANDING IN A HOME BUILT MIDGET MUSTANG, WHICH HE HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT BOUNCED & THE PLT ELECTED TO GO AROUND. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT THE ACFT ROLLED TO THE LEFT (TORQUE ROLLED) AS HE APPLIED FULL POWER, THEN CRASHED INVERTED BESIDE THE RWY. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND.
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: 125 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 125 as pilot in command; 35 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 225 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 27, 1989; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 02J
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from ABY, 50 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.