Mooney M20J accident near Bloomfield, Indiana, March 24, 2012
On March 24, 2012 at about 1:00 am local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201QB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Bloomfield, Indiana (Shawnee Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to land with sufficient runway remaining to stop, which resulted in an unsuccessful aborted landing, inadvertent stall, and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 2012 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Bloomfield, Indiana · Shawnee Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201QB · registry record · serial 24-0383
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was attempting to land on a lighted grass runway at night. His first two attempts to land were aborted. According to the passenger, the pilot landed the airplane on his third attempt with only 400 feet of available runway remaining and then “slammed” on the brakes, and the airplane began to slide. After the airplane exited the runway end, the pilot applied full power to abort the landing; however, the airplane only became momentarily airborne before it stalled and collided with a levy.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,464 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SIV Sullivan IN
- Destination: 1I3 Bloomfield IN
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 2,160 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from BMG, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N201QB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN12LA198.