Mooney M20C accident near Cullowhee, North Carolina, April 28, 1996
On April 28, 1996 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20C, registered N5635Q, was destroyed in an accident near Cullowhee, North Carolina (Jackson County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions. The gusty/crosswind condition 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
- April 28, 1996 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cullowhee, North Carolina · Jackson County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5635Q · no longer on the register · serial 3016
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was on final approach for landing, when the airplane encountered gusty winds, and up/downdrafts. When the airplane was about 100 feet from the threshold, it collided with the terrain after encountering a downdraft.
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: 600 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VDI Vidalia GA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: 24A
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 1,900 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from AVL, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.