Mooney M20-K accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, March 28, 1983
On March 28, 1983 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20-K, registered N96446, was substantially damaged in an accident near Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- March 28, 1983 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · Indianapolis
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20-K · all M20-Ks on the register
- Registration
- N96446 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED HARD AND BOUNCED ENOUGH TO MAKE THE PROPELLER HIT THE RWY DURING LANDING. THE PILOT HAD MADE AN ILS APPROACH AND WHEN THE ACFT BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS IT CROSSED THE RWY THRESHOLD AT ABOUT 70 KTS. AT 10 FT AGL THE PILOT CUT THE POWER, FLARED, AND THE ACFT LANDED HARD. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO KEEP DIRECTION RELATIVELY STRAIGHT THROUGH SEVERAL BOUNCES AFTER THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN. THE PILOT SAID THE ACCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF HE HAD MAINTAINED SOME POWER ON THE ACFT UNTIL TOUCHDOWN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,630 hours in all; 407 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 1,533 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 509 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-GB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCM Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from IND
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.