Mooney M20F accident near Marshall, Minnesota, July 19, 1999
On July 19, 1999 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N7141V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marshall, Minnesota (Marshall Municipal-Ryan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadvertent stall and the checklist not followed by the pilot. Contributing factors were the baggage door not secured and the precautionary landing attempt by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1999 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marshall, Minnesota · Marshall Municipal-Ryan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7141V · no longer on the register · serial 22-0060
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While waiting for an instrument flight rules clearance at the departure end of runway 12, the pilot shut the engine down and exited the airplane to obtain cleaning materials from the airplane's baggage compartment. The pilot reported that he did not double-check the baggage door and did not utilize a checklist. The baggage door opened after lifting off at a point located approximately 1/2 down runway 12. The pilot attempted to return to land on runway 20 during which he overshot the turn to final and stalled the aircraft while in a 45 degree banked turn with the gear down and flaps extended 10 degrees. He applied power and initiated a recovery but touched down short of runway 20. The aircraft then nosed into a drainage ditch.
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: 950 hours in all; 675 in this make and model; 932 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,868 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 1999; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MML at 1:00 pm
- Destination: AXN Alexandria MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20, 3,205 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from MML
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.