Mooney M20J accident near Huntington, Indiana, August 11, 2004
On August 11, 2004 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntington, Indiana (Huntington Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 flare and unsuccessful recovery from a bounced landing, and the pilot's and flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control and airspeed during the subsequent aborted landing, which resulted in a stall. A factor was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2004 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Huntington, Indiana · Huntington Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201AM · registry record · serial 24-0387
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an aborted landing. The purpose of the flight was to satisfy the dual-instruction flight requirements of a biennial flight review. The flight was being operated in visual meteorological conditions with reported local surface winds of 250 degrees at 11 knots. The pilot performed a simulated forced landing to runway 27 (5,001 feet by 75 feet, dry asphalt) and during the landing flare the airplane "experienced a slight balloon." The flight instructor stated that "the aircraft's stall horn sounded, [and the airplane] began to sink back to the runway as full [engine] power was applied and takeoff flaps were verified." The airplane then proceeded to drift and contact the right (north) edge of the runway. The pilot stated that the increase engine torque caused the airplane's heading to change from the west-northwest to the southwest. The pilot reported the airplane experienced a "slight bounce... touching again briefly on the south [left] edge of the runway." The pilot then established a climb to treetop level, while traveling on a southwesterly heading. Upon reaching treetop altitude the airplane began an unintentional descent resulting in a collision with the terrain about 50 feet south of the runway while on a northerly heading. The pilot and his flight instructor reported that they encountered "wind shear" during the aborted landing, which resulted in the collision with the terrain.
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: 128 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 30, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,471 hours in all; 79 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,350 as pilot in command; 2,171 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 25, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,658.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 6, 2004; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HHG Huntington IN at 1:30 pm
- Destination: HHG Huntington IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 5,001 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,100 ft; a few clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from FWA, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.