Mooney M20F accident near Mitchell, South Dakota, July 4, 1987
On July 4, 1987 at about 8:20 am local time, a Mooney M20F, registered N6933V, was destroyed in an accident near Mitchell, South Dakota (Mitchell Municipal airport). 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 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
- July 4, 1987 · about 8:20 am local time
- Place
- Mitchell, South Dakota · Mitchell Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6933V · no longer on the register · serial 221306
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS NON-LICENSED PLT MADE AN UNAUTHORIZED FLT AT NIGHT. THE ACFT CRASHED ONE HALF MILE NORTH OF THE ARPT. THE OCCUPANT OF THE ACFT WAS FATALLY INJURED. NO RECORDS OF THE PLT'S FLT EXPERIENCE WAS FOUND.
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
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,646 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1986; 293 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming I0360A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MHE Mitchell SD at 8:20 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:06 am from HON, 40 miles away
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.