Mooney M20J accident near Wichita Falls, Texas, May 30, 2006
On May 30, 2006 at about 4:45 am local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201XW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wichita Falls, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to compensate for existing wind conditions. A contributing factor was the gusty crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2006 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Wichita Falls, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201XW · registry record · serial 24-0483
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 84-hour private pilot stated that during the landing flare, while at approximately 3 to 4 feet above the runway, a "strong burst of wind hit the aircraft from the left side raising the left wing and moving the aircraft to the right of the runway." The pilot stated that he attempted to correct the rise in the left wing and abort the landing when the right wing impacted the ground. The accident occurred on runway 17, which is 4,450-feet long and 75-feet wide. At the time of the accident the weather observation facility located 5 miles from the accident site was reporting winds from 130 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 23 knots.
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: 84 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: 201 LLC
The flight
- Departed from: T47 Wichita Falls TX
- Destination: T47 Wichita Falls TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DFW06CA144.