ATL87FA038

Factual narrative

THE MID-AIR COLLISION OCCURRED WHILE THE CESSNA 185 WAS ATTEMPTING A STEEP CLIMBOUT DURING TAKEOFF FROM RWY 21 AND THE MOONEY WAS MAKING A LANDING TO THE SAME RUNWAY. ANOTHER AIRCAFT ATTEMPED TO WARN BOTH AIRCRAFT OVER THE UNICOM FREQ. NEITHER AIRCRAFT RESPONDED TO THE THREE CALLS AND BOTH CONTINUED THEIR OPERATIONS. THE COLLISION OCCURRED ABOUT 400 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF RWY 31. THE AIRPLANES CAME TO REST ABOUT 1300 FEET DOWN THE RWY IN A GRASSY AREA BTW THE TAXIWAY. BOTH A/C BURNED. THE M-20 LEFT OUTBOARD WING PANEL WAS STRUCK SEVERAL TIMES BY THE C-185 PROPELLER BLADES. THE C-185 VERTICAL FIN WAS DEFLECTED LEFT OF IT'S INSTALLED POSITION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12