Mooney M20C accident near Plano, Texas, November 21, 2023
On November 21, 2023 at about 11:48 pm local time, a 1963 Mooney M20C, registered N1204X, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Plano, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a climbing turn during a go-around, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2023 · about 11:48 pm local time
- Place
- Plano, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20C, built 1963 · all M20Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1204X · registry record · serial 2607
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted a landing at the airport and subsequently conducted a go-around. During the go-around, witnesses observed the airplane’s left wing dip perpendicular to the ground before the airplane entered a near-vertical descent. According to a study conducted with video evidence, the airplane transitioned from stable flight at a speed close to the airplane’s stall speed to flight with a large bank angle and crashed shortly thereafter. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted in a nose-low attitude and came to rest inverted; a postimpact fire ensued, destroying the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot’s medical history and age placed him at increased risk of medical impairment or sudden incapacitation. Whether such impairment or incapacitation occurred on the accident flight could not be determined from available medical evidence; however, witness observations and the video data are consistent with the pilot losing control of the airplane during a climbing turn during a go-around, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.
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 in flight during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,042 hours in all
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 27AZ Aguila AZ
- Destination: F69 Plano TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 320° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.24 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from KADS, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KADS 212347Z 32012G18KT 13SM SKC 13/03 A3024
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on December 17, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Witness Statements | PDF, 8 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Video Study | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Email Correspondence | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Video File | video · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Video File - Landing/go Around | video | View Download |
| 9 | Video File - Go Around | video · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Examination Summary | PDF, 12 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 11 | FAA ADS-B Data | data file · our copy | Download |
| 12 | Medical Factual Memorandum of Record | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 13 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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.
