Mooney M20J accident near Bird Island, Minnesota, April 16, 1982
On April 16, 1982 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N3201P, was destroyed in an accident near Bird Island, Minnesota. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1982 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Bird Island, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N3201P · no longer on the register · serial 240568
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THIEF RIVERS, MN AND PROCEEDED EN ROUTE TO NEW ULM, MN. ONE WITNESS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE HEARD A NOISE THAT SOUNDED TO HIM LIKE AN EXPLOSION. HE AND OTHER WITNESSES IN THE VICINITY SAW THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDING OUT OF CONTROL IN A ROLL OR A SPIN BEFORE IT CRASHED. ALSO, THEY SAW TWO OBJECTS FALLING FROM THE AIRCRAFT, ONE SMALL AND ONE LARGE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A PROPELLER BLADE, AND THEN THE ENGINE, HAD SEPARATED IN FLIGHT. THE PROPELLER BLADE WAS FOUND ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE LEFT OF THE FLIGHT PATH. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE PROPELLER BLADE HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE CRACKING. THE FATIGUE ORIGINATED FROM A 1/16 INCH DEEP FORGING FOLD IN THE SURFACE OF THE BLADE NEAR THE BUTT END. THE PROPELLER, A MCCAULEY MODEL 90DHB-16E, HAD 340 HRS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME.
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: 985 hours in all; 732 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 947 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 878 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVF Thief River Fal MN at 2:30 pm
- Destination: ULM New Ulm MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.