Mooney M20F accident near Hanover, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1996
On August 15, 1996, a Mooney M20F, registered N9103V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hanover, Pennsylvania (Hanover airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's delay in aborting the landing. Factors related to the accident were: the lack of braking action on the wet grass runway, the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of airplane, and the sign near the departure end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 1996
- Place
- Hanover, Pennsylvania · Hanover · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20F · all M20Fs on the register
- Registration
- N9103V · registry record · serial 690022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was attempting to land on runway 09, and the airplane touched down at a taxiway entrance, about 1/3 of the way down from the approach end of the runway. He stated that he applied the brakes on the wet grass runway, then decided to go around, but decided too late. He said that at the end of the runway, he lifted off, but the right wing hit a road speed limit sign, which damaged the leading edge of the right wing. He landed the airplane 300 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot had only about 4 hours of flight time in this make and model of airplane.
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: 85 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 53 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,140 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1996; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40N Coatesville PA
- Destination: 6W6
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,700 ft by 140 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.