Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K accident near Willmar, Minnesota, January 13, 2012
On January 13, 2012 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K, registered N262RW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Willmar, Minnesota (Willmar Municipal Airport-John). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot landed without lowering the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 2012 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Willmar, Minnesota · Willmar Municipal Airport-John · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney Aircraft CORP. M20K
- Registration
- N262RW · registry record · serial 25-0649
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot extended the downwind leg of the traffic pattern on his third solo landing to provide spacing for another airplane. He said that he forgot to lower the landing gear and inadvertently landed with the gear up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom cabin structure of the fuselage. The student pilot reported that the landing gear warning activated; however, he thought it was the stall warning. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,588 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 2011
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BDH Willmar MN
- Destination: BDH Willmar MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from BDH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N262RW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.