Piper J-4A accident near Mosheim, Tennessee, August 19, 2001
On August 19, 2001 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Piper J-4A, registered N27848, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mosheim, Tennessee (Hartman Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the student pilot to maintain altitude clearance during a balked landing go-around resulting in the collision with a utility pole, transmission wires, and a ground borne vehicle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2001 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mosheim, Tennessee · Hartman Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J-4A · all J-4As on the register
- Registration
- N27848 · no longer on the register · serial 4-1068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, substantiated by two witness statements, his first landing attempt to the 800-foot grass strip resulted in an extended flare due to a tail wind, and his subsequent go-around attempt resulted in collision with power lines at the departure end of the runway. The secondary collision with the terrain was actually a head-on collision with a pickup truck that resulted in fatal injuries to the driver. The aircraft was destroyed by postcrash fire, and the truck, power lines, power transformer, and fencing sustained substantial damage. The pilot and a second truck occupant received minor injuries. The pilot reported no precrash mechanical abnormalities with the aircraft.
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: 35 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,365 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 13, 2001; 27.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,301 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TN at 10:45 pm
- Destination: TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 800 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from TRI, 32 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.